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In Japan the cherry is raised extensively, and the blossoming time 
is one of general rejoicing. 





















THE WOODS IN THE HOME 


BY 


HOPE DARING t 


ILLUSTRATED BY 
ELIZABETH M. FISHER 


Albert Whitman <S~ Company 

Spu 6Ushers 


Chicago 


U.S.A. 
















THE WOODS IN THE HOME 

Copyright 1903 

By George W. Jacobs & Company 
Copyright 1927 

By Albert Whitman & Company 


Other Titles 
Uniform With This Book 

IN OCEAN LAND 
By Emily Paret Atwater 

FLAG OF OUR HEARTS 
Edited by W. Montgomery Major 

TODAY’S STORIES OF YESTERDAY 
Edited by Frances Kerr Cook 

RUNAWAY NANNY 
By Clara J. Denton 

MERRY CHRISTMAS STORIES 
Edited by W. Montgomery Major 

THE LOOKING GLASS 
By Eona Groff Deihl 

HAPPY EASTER STORIES 
Edited by W. Montgomery Major 


A “ Just Bight ” Book 


Printed in the U. S. A. 



/' 



©CU99B3U 


Contents 


T. VELMA AND THE OAR.7 

II. THE OLD WALNUT SIDEBOARD. 21 

III. THE STORY OF MAHOGANY. 27 

IV. THE WHITE PINE TABLE. 37 

V. A CHERRY CHAT. 47 

VI. THE TALE OF THE EBONY WRITING DESK .... 56 

VIT. WHAT VELMA LEARNED OF THE MAPLE .... 64 

VIII. A PLEASANT LUNCH WITH THE ASH TABLE ... 73 

IX. THE CHESTNUT AS FOOD AND AS FURNITURE ... 82 

X. A BIRTHDAY TREAT AND BIRCH’S TALE .... 91 

XI. SIGNOR MALCIIl’s VISITOR AND THE ROSEWOOD BOX . 100 
XII. THE BAMBOO CABINET. 109 













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Velma was a little girl, nine years old. 


# 






































































The Furniture People 


CHAPTER I 

VELMA AND THE OAK 

Velma was a little girl nine years old. Her 
home was in a tenement house which stood on 
the bank of a river. The great city had grown 
somewhat away from River Street, and the 
quaint, three-story houses were occupied by a 
strange medley of persons. 

Velma and her widowed mother occupied 
three small rooms on the first floor. These 
rooms were in the back part of the building and 
overlooked the river. 

Across the hall from them and also in the 
rear of the building, lived Signor Malchi, an old 
Italian gentleman. He repaired, bought, and 
sold furniture. His rooms were crowded with 
curious tables, chairs, cabinets, desks, and other 
articles. Often carriages stopped in the narrow 
7 



8 The Furniture People 

street, and ladies in silken robes swept through 
the hall to Signor Malchi’s rooms. 

The Italian was a kindly old man with a 
wrinkled face and flashing black eyes. From 
one of his rooms a balcony jutted out over the 
river. There Signor Malchi had great boxes of 
plants growing. Trailing green vines allowed 
the sunbeams to play hide and seek with the 
sturdy red geraniums and the delicately-tinted 
tea roses. One could look up, through the 
vines, to the smiling blue sky, and there was 
nothing to obstruct the view up the river. 

Velma and Signor Malchi were great friends. 
He allowed her to play in his rooms and on the 
balcony. The little girl passed many happy 
hours among the plants. Then she enjo.yed 
talking to the old man, examining the pieces 
of quaint furniture, and “ wondering ” about 
them. 

That was something of which Velma did a 
great deal—wondering. Now this does not mean 
that she asked many questions. She thought 
much of the things that came under her obser¬ 
vation, making for them, in her own mind, a 
life that was almost as real to her as her own. 
Velma was a very imaginative child. Both her 
mother and Signor Malchi patiently answered 


Velma and the Oak 9 

the questions she asked and taught her many 
things. 

When the long summer vacation came there 
was no country life for Velma. She lived a 
long distance from any park, and the little girl’s 
mother would not allow her to play on the street. 
So it came about that she spent many hours in 
the furniture rooms and on the adjoining bal¬ 
cony. Her mother resolved that, even if her 
little daughter was shut out from the beauties 
of the country through the long summer days, 
she should learn of some of the wonderful things 
that God has created. 

Thus Velma became acquainted with the furni¬ 
ture people. They told her charming stories, 
showed her beautiful pictures, and sang her 
sweet songs. 

Now I must admit that to the eye of a prosaic, 
commonplace person these people were only 
tables, chairs, and like articles. To the ear 
of the same person, the stories told were only 
the results of what the little girl was taught by 
her mother and Signor Malchi. 

Instead of being commonplace and prosaic, 
however, Velma was what the world calls im¬ 
aginative ; some persons will say that she was 
a dreamer. Many other little folk are like her, 


IO 


The Furniture People 

and to the boys and girls who imagine and 
dream, these stories of the furniture people are 
told. 

Early one morning, Velma entered the chief 
room of Signor Malchi. Her dark brown hair 
was neatly brushed and curled, while her brown 
eyes sparkled with joy. 

“ Oh, the world is beautiful, beautiful! ” she 
said aloud as she stood in the doorway which 
led to the balcony. “ I wonder how the green 
fields that mother tells about look in this bright 
sunlight.” 

“ I can tell you that, Velma,” said a mellow 
voice. “ For fourscore years I stood upon a hill 
overlooking sloping fields, which were covered 
with green grass or waving golden grain.” 

“ How delightful! But I- Oh, it is you, 

Mr. Settle, is it? ” 

“ Yes. I am a settle now and a valuable one. 
Just look at my carving, Velma. It was done 
long years ago; so you see that I am old. 
While I am Mr. Settle now, I am also Oak, one 
of the best-known of the furniture people. I 
like that name best, little girl. You see men 
made me into a settle, but God made me an oak 
tree.” 



Velma and the Oak 


11 

“ I like to hear you say that. It sounds— 
well, like the music of the great organ at the 
church. You are a beautiful settle, though.” 

The settle was a long seat with a high back 
and arms. The oak was dark and had been 
highly polished, but was now dusty. Upon the 
panels into which the back was divided, curious 
designs were carved. These were surmounted 
by an open-work design. 

The child ran her fingers lightly over the 
back of the settle. 

“ What a long, long time you have lived, dear 
old Oak ! ” 

“Yes, many years; but, before I tell you of 
myself, you must hear something of my family.” 

Velma snuggled up into one corner of the 
settle where she could enjoy the cool breeze 
from the open door. Then the voice again 
began to speak. 

“ The oak belongs to the genus Quercus. 
There are about three hundred different species. 
Some are mere shrubs, but the greater number 
are lofty trees. We attain a height of from 
fifty to one hundred feet. Indeed, oak trees 
have been known which were one hundred and 
fifty feet high.” 

Velma drew a long breath. 


12 


The Furniture People 

“ There are so many, many of you, and you 
seem so big ! ” 

“ Do not be discouraged. Will you feel more 
at home if I limit the number to those growing 
in our own country? The United States pro¬ 
duces about twenty-five varieties. It is said 
that, before the forests were cleared away, six or 
eight kinds could be found growing in every 
locality. I am White Oak, or Quercus Alba. 
Suppose I tell you of my particular life instead 
of the family generally.” 

“ I am sure I would like that better.” 

“ I do not remember when I was an acorn, so 
shall leave the description of the fruit of the 
oak tree until I can tell you of that produced 
by myself. What is it, Velma? ” 

The little girl had raised her head, a puzzled 
look upon her face. 

“ You said fruit. And-” 

“ I meant neither an apple nor an orange. 
There, child, I am not laughing at you. I said 
fruit, for oak trees do bear fruit, although it is 
not usually called by that name. I will explain 
later. My first recollection is of peeping up 
through the moist earth one sunny spring 
morning. I was only a slender reddish stem, 
two scaly leaves, and, below ground, a tiny root. 



Velma and the Oak 


13 


However, I stretched up and up, green leaves 
growing along my slim stalk. I was very 
happy that first year, and all too soon winter 
came.” 

“ What did you do then?” Velma asked. 
“ You had no warm house.” 

“ Dame Nature had already taught me how 
to drop my leaves and prepare for winter. Many 
summers and winters passed before I stretched 
my head up where I could look over my neigh¬ 
bors and see the undulating fields spread out 
below me. The birds built nests in my branches, 
and the winds alternately sang sweet lullabies 
to me and hurled me about that my roots might 
strike deeper into the earth. Let me tell you 
how I looked when I was full grown.” 

Velma held her breath to listen, at the same 
time resting one cheek against the settle’s arm. 

“ My bark was ash colored and marked with 
irregular flakes. My leaves grew on short 
stems, called petioles. They were notched, hav¬ 
ing three or four segments, as the divisions are 
called, on each side. They were straight-veined 
leaves, which means that the veins or ribs ex¬ 
tended straight through the blade of the leaf. 
Thousands and thousands of these leaves cov¬ 
ered my branches, making a great mass of 


14 The Furniture People 

greenness. Now I must tell you of my blossoms 
and fruit.” 

Those words puzzled Velma. She had seen 
oak trees growing in the park and was sure 
that they had neither blossoms nor fruit. 

“ White Oaks bear two kinds of flowers. 
There are long, slender clusters hanging from 
the branches and much resembling catkins. 
They are called staminate flowers. I will stop 
to tell you something of the great law of nature 
that governs all blossoms. Please listen care¬ 
fully, as a perfect comprehension of this will 
help you to understand about other trees; for, 
Velma, all trees have flowers.” 

The little girl sat up very straight, an eager 
look upon her face. 

“A complete flower has four parts. These 
are the calyx or outside part of the blossom 
which often consists of five green sepals covered 
with down ; the corolla or bright colored petals ; 
the stamens—tiny, thread-like filaments with a 
powder box called an anther at the top of each 
one ; and the pistil. The lower part of this last 
is a seed case and is called an ovary. The top 
of the pistil is round and is called the stigma. 
Now Velma, see if you can name the four parte 
of a complete flower.” 


Velma and the Oak 


15 


Velma had been so attentive that she was 
able to repeat promptly, “ Calyx, corolla, sta¬ 
mens, and pistil.” 

“ Very good. Now in the ovary, which you 
will remember lies at the base of the pistil, may 
be found ovules—wee specks which may one 
day become seeds. I say ‘ may/ for they must 
have aid from a force without. Do you remem¬ 
ber what I said about the anthers?” 

“ Oh yes. You called them powder boxes 
and said that they were at the top of the 
stamens.” 

“ I see you are trying to learn. Well, the 
anthers are filled with fine, dust-like grains. 
This powder is called pollen, and it is necessary 
for the pollen to reach the ovules in order that 
they may become real seeds and be able to pro¬ 
duce living plants.” 

Velma leaned nearer. 

“That is a lot to learn, but I—don’t— 
just-” 

“ See what it has to do with me,” Oak fin¬ 
ished gayly. “ It does have a good deal to do 
with me, as you will see before we finish. 
Sometimes the grains of pollen fall against the 
pistil, or are borne to it by the wind, or are 
carried to it by honey-seeking bees. You will 



16 The Furniture People 

remember that I told you the oak tree has two 
kinds of blossoms. Neither one can be called 
perfect, for in one are the stamens and in the 
other the pistil. The pollen is produced in the 
long staminate flowers which I have already 
described. The pistillate flowers look like very 
small pink knobs. Examine one closely, and 
you will find a shallow cup containing wee 
points. Upon this the pollen falls, and the 
pistillate flower grows. The cup is retained as 
a setting for the acorn.” 

“ Acorn ! Oh, I see ! ” 

“ Yes, Velma, the acorn is the oak’s fruit, and 
from it may grow another tree.” 

“ I thought an acorn was a nut.” 

The sound that followed that remark of 
Velma’s was much like a chuckle. She felt 
that Oak was laughing at her, but he said : 

“ When you go home look in the great dic¬ 
tionary that used to be your father’s and see 
what it says about a nut. But I must hasten. 
Oaks have long been admired and respected by 
men. The ancient Greeks venerated my an¬ 
cestors, claiming that their great god Zeus (the 
Jupiter of the Romans) was born beneath an 
oak tree. One which grew at Dodona was 
sacred to him, and, when the leaves rustled, the 


Velma and the Oak 


l 7 


Greeks said that he had a message for the priests 
who lived near. These poetical Greeks also be¬ 
lieved in Dryads or maidens who lived in trees, 
and they claimed that my relatives were the 
favorite abodes of these beautiful creatures.” 

“ I know a little about those strange old 
myths. Mother has told me some of them.” 

“ The Romans looked upon the oak tree as a 
symbol of power. To gain 1 a crown of oak ’ 
was considered a great honor. It was given 
only to one who was a Roman citizen and who 
had either 1 slain an enemy, saved the life of a 
Roman, or reconquered a field of battle.’ The 
Jews venerated the oak, and it is mentioned 
several times in the Bible. The nurse of Re- 
bekah was buried under an oak. In Ezekiel 
we read that in the shadow of this tree altars 
had been erected to idols.” 

“ I should think you could not help being a 
little proud,” Velma said. “ Your family is so 
well known.” 

“ If I am proud of anything, it is because we 
have always been noted for our strength and 
stability. In England two thousand years ago, 
the oak was held to be sacred, and the Druids 
—then the priests of that land—conducted their 
religious ceremonies in oak groves. Centuries 


18 The Furniture People 

later the Saxons valued the oak forests of Eng¬ 
land for their acorns.” 

“ What could they do with them? I thought 
that they were good only to grow into trees and 
for squirrels to eat.” 

“ The Saxons had great herds of swine. 
These were fattened upon the acorns which 
were then called mast. The right to let hogs 
feed in a forest was valuable and was bought 
and sold like other property. Sometimes 
churches were endowed with this right of pan¬ 
nage, as it was known, or it formed a part of 
the dowry of a king’s daughter.” 

“ Oh, how many, many things there are in 
the world to learn ! ” Velma cried. 

“ You are right. There are many good times 
ahead of you, for there is much pleasure in ac¬ 
quiring knowledge. History will teach you 
many charming stories about my cousins.” 

“ Tell me some of them, please.” 

“ I have time to mention only a few. There 
is the story of the hollow oak in which tradition 
says William Wallace slept, and the Royal Oak 
in whose branches King Charles II took refuge 
from his pursuers. In our own land you will find 
the Charter Oak of Connecticut. It is claimed 
that the charter of the State was hidden in a 


Velma and the Oak 


19 

hollow within this tree during a time of 
trouble.” 

“Is that all?” Velma asked as the voice 
ceased. 

“ All! Why child, books could be written 
about us ! I have not said a word about the 
characteristics of my cousins or the various 
tints our leaves acquire in autumn. My own 
leaves turn to a rich purple, while those of Red 
Oak are a brilliant crimson or an orange-red. 
Live Oak’s leaves are not deciduous, which 
means that they do not fall in autumn, the tree 
being an evergreen. Ah, we are truly a noble 
family. Even the poets have sung of us.” 

“ What do they say ? ” 

“ Keats noted our dignity and power. He 
called us 

“ ‘ Those green-robed senators of mighty woods ; ’ 

while Cowper sang of some of my ancestors, 

‘Lords of the woods, the long-surviving oaks.’ ” 

“ You have always been happy, have you 
not?” 

There was a moment’s pause before Oak said, 
“Velma, into all lives come dark days. After 
scores of years of a merry, outdoor existence, it 


20 The Furniture People 

was not easy for me to understand that the 
blows that hurled my proud length to the earth 
and the terrible sawing, planing, and polishing 
were a part of God’s plan for me. I saw it, 
though, in the years when I, a carefully-made 
settle, stood at the side of a fireplace in the hall 
of a colonial home. Yes, I have been happy, 
Velma, as are those who trust God for all 
things.” 



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The sideboard was tall and wide 






































































































CHAPTER II 


THE OLD WALNUT SIDEBOARD 

One afternoon, Velma went into the furniture 
room and found Signor Malchi absent. As she 
was about to go to the balcony, she noticed 
a large piece of furniture which she had never 
seen before. 

“ I remember that I saw the dray drive up 
here this morning; it must have brought this, 
for yesterday the Signor went to a sale. What 
an enormous cupboard it is ! ” 

“ Not a cupboard, Velma, if you please. I am 
a sideboard.’’ The voice was somewhat sad. 
“ For fifty years I stood in a long and lofty 
dining-room on Gray Street, proudly bearing 
my burden of family silver and fragile china. 
Now my master and mistress are both gone, 
and I am obliged to go out into the world, 
seeking another home.” 

“ I am sure you will easily find one,” the 
little girl said. “ You are beautiful.” 

The sideboard was tall and wide. The wood 
was a dark and glistening brown. Across both 
21 


22 


The Furniture People 

doors of the lower part, a grape-vine had been 
carved in high relief. Above the wide top were 
several curiously-shaped little brackets, and in 
the back a small mirror was set in a massive 
frame. The handles to the doors and drawers 
were bunches of grapes, carved from the wood. 

“ What are you, please? ” Velma asked. 

It seemed to her that the old sideboard stood 
a little straighter as it replied : 

“ I am Juglans Nigra .' 1 

Unconsciously Velma made a little bow. 

“ I am glad to see you, but I never heard of 
you before,” she replied. 

“ I think you have. Common people call me 
Black Walnut. The Juglans are a most dis¬ 
tinguished family. Indeed, my English cousin 
takes the title Juglans Regia , or Royal Walnut.” 

Velma sat down upon a roll of matting that 
lay near, folding her hands in her lap. 

“ One thing I have learned,” she remarked ; 
“ with you furniture people your family name 
comes first instead of, as with us, last. Will 
you not commence at the beginning and tell me 
all about yourself? And do you mind if I call 
you Black Walnut instead of that other name? ” 

“ No, I shall not mind.” The voice was 
more cordial. “The beginning, did you say? 


The Old Walnut Sideboard 


23 


I was at the beginning when I gave you our 
family name. We are not as plentiful as some 
families, nor do we have as many divisions, but 
our rareness has made us more valuable. There 
are about thirty species of our family, some of 
which grow in the Old World. I am an 
American tree.” 

“ Oh, I am glad of that! ” Velma cried, and 
the surface of the sideboard brightened, as if 
blushing with pleasure. 

“ I see you are a patriotic little girl as well as 
an appreciative one. I am found in many parts 
of the United States and attain a great size. In¬ 
deed, some members of my family have a trunk 
five or six feet in diameter. My leaves are pin¬ 
nated ones. Do you know what that term 
means ? ” 

Velma shook her head. 

“ The word pinnate means having the form of 
a feather. In botany, however, it has come to 
be applied to the arrangement of what is called 
a compound leaf. My small, pointed leaves are 
closely joined to the opposite sides of a stem or 
petiole. This arrangement taken together is 
called a compound leaf of which the individual 
leaves are known as leaflets. Now, as my peti¬ 
oles are slender, they move with the slightest 


24 The Furniture People 

breeze. When I hold up my swaying, umbrella¬ 
like top to the summer sunlight, I am a fine 
sight.” 

“Do you bear flowers and fruit?” Velma 
asked. 

“ Of course, I do. If I failed to do so, I should 
not be a perfect tree. My flowers resemble in 
arrangement those of White Oak. There are 
the same tail-like catkins, each containing thirty 
or forty little pockets or anthers filled with the 
gold dust you have learned to call pollen. They 
do not grow from the tip of the branches but 
back further and are green in color.” 

“ Do you have another kind of flowers? ” 

“ Yes, the pistillate ones, although they do 
not look much like what you usually call flow¬ 
ers. These grow in terminal clusters. I see you 
are scowling again, so I will stop to explain. 
You know what a cluster is. A terminal leaf, 
bud, or flower is one borne at the end or sum¬ 
mit of a branch. Each one of my pistillate 
flowers has a single ovule, and there is a curious 
little frill at the top. When the pollen falls 
upon the ovule it begins to grow. All summer 
long it slowly increases in size, swinging safely 
on its branch home. When autumn comes, it 
has attained its full size and is a black walnut.” 


The Old Walnut Sideboard 


25 


Velma was too much interested even to ask a 
question. After pausing a moment, Black Wal¬ 
nut went on. 

“ My fruit is globular in shape. It is sur¬ 
rounded by a green, fleshy husk which soon de¬ 
cays. Within is a nut with a dark-colored, 
rough shell and a palatable kernel.” 

“ Last Christmas I had what Cousin Edith 
called English walnuts. Were they the nuts 
you are talking about?” 

“ No, they belonged to the cousin of whom I 
told you, Juglans Regia. The nut is more 
highly esteemed than mine, but the wood is not 
so fine. There is little difference in our trees. 
The nut of my English cousin is ellipsoidal in 
shape.” 

“ Oh ! 0I1 ! ” Velma cried. “ I don’t know 
what that big word means.” 

“ Why, that’s very easy. In botany it means 
a nut, seed vessel, or other organ that is long, 
oval, and regularly rounded at both ends. The 
English walnut is light-colored and has a thin 
shell. In England it is always called simply the 
walnut without any prefix. The Romans knew 
and prized the walnut. They called it Jove’s 
nut, and from that name came our family one 
of Juglans , the old word glans signifying a nut.” 


26 The Furniture People 

“ Mother often tells me of the good times she 
had when she was a girl. Her home was on a 
farm. In the winter evenings they used to sit 
round a great fire in the old stone fireplace, tell¬ 
ing stories, and cracking butternuts.” 

“ Now, Velma, Butternut is my own cousin. 
His proper name is Juglans Cinera or White 
Walnut. The tree grows about fifty feet high 
and is seldom more than a foot in diameter. Its 
compound leaf is shorter than mine and consists 
of from nine to seventeen leaflets. The nut is 
oblong and has a sharp point at the top. White 
Walnut is one of the furniture people. His 
wood is of a peculiar dark reddish tint. It is 
highly esteemed, often being used for the inside 
woodwork of fine homes.” 

Here Black Walnut was interrupted in his re¬ 
cital by Velma’s mother calling her to come to 
supper. 


CHAPTER III 


THE STORY OF MAHOGANY 

“ Velma, little girl, come see what I have to 
show you.” 

It was the voice of Signor Malchi. Velma 
was running through the hall, but she stopped 
quickly when she heard the kind old Italian’s 
voice. 

“ This it is—one rare old table. The man 
from whom I did just buy it, he said it once did 
belong to the great Napoleon.” 

“ Napoleon ! Do you suppose it did, Signor? 
And how did it come here? ” 

The old man laughed. 

“ I think it can hardly be so. But Velma, 
without a doubt it is very old. See, the fine 
markings of the wood ! ” 

Velma looked closely at the table. It was 
not large, the plain top being three feet square. 
There were four slender legs, each terminating 
in a curious, claw-shaped foot. After noticing 
these things, the little girl looked at the wood. 

27 


28 


The Furniture People 

It was of fine grain, in color a dark reddish 
brown, curiously marked with varying shades 
of the same color, and was highly polished. 

“ Who is it?” Velma asked, meaning the fur¬ 
niture person of whom she hoped to hear, rather 
than the table. That was why she used the 
pronoun “ who ” instead of “ what.” 

Signor Mai chi had turned away to greet a 
customer. So it did not surprise Velma when a 
strange voice, a sweet, clear one, replied to her 
question. 

“ I am Mahogany, Velma. My botanical 
name is Swietenia Mahogoni. My family is 
American, but we grow only in tropical re¬ 
gions. I and my immediate relatives are found 
in Central America, the West Indies, and Mex¬ 
ico. There is also a so-called mahogany tree in 
Africa and another in Australia, but they are 
not really members of my family. I came from 
Central America.” 

“ Did you truly come from that far-off land ? ” 
Velma cried, her eyes sparkling with delight. 
“ I am sure you must have many beautiful 
things to tell me. Are you very old?” 

“ Why, you may think 1 am. It is nearly one 
hundred years since I was fashioned into this 
table. For more than two hundred years before 


The Story of Mahogany 29 

that I grew under the deep blue sky of Hondu¬ 
ras.” 

“ Three hundred years ! ” There was a note 
of reverence in the child’s voice, and with one 
hand she gently stroked the table’s glossy sur¬ 
face. “ It—it is wonderful.” 

“ The ways of the Lord God, the Creator of all 
things, are past finding out. Before I begin to 
tell you of myself personally, let me give you a 
brief account of the divisions of our family. In 
commercial circles the mahogany that grows in 
Central America is Honduras mahogany, that 
from Mexico is called Mexican, and that from 
the West Indies goes by the name of Spanish. 
Then there is a division into classes based on the 
appearance of the wood. I am of the kind 
called the festooned, for, as you will see, my 
shaded marking has the appearance of festoons 
or wreaths.” 

“ I see. What are the other kinds? ” 

“ There is the bird’s eye, which has little oval 
figures of a different shade from the background ; 
the caterpillar, marked by indistinct white lines ; 
and the watered. This last is crossed by wave¬ 
like white lines.” 

“ Do the trees of these different kinds look 
alike ? ” 


30 The Furniture People 

“ Very much so. I will describe a tree to you. 
Then I want to tell you something about the 
method of cutting and shipping the timber, also 
a bit of my history. I want you to hear enough 
of this last to let you know how mahogany came 
to be one of the furniture people.” 

Velma sat down in a chair, moving it near 
enough to the table to rest her arm on the pol¬ 
ished top. 

“ The mahogany tree grows to a height of 
nearly one hundred feet. It is found in forests 
where trailing vines and shrubbery make it 
difficult for even a foot passenger to go. Instead 
of growing in groups, the trees usually grow 
singly. The trunk is often more than two feet 
in diameter. The leaves are small, glossy, and 
pinnated. The leaflets grow in pairs, one on 
each side of the petiole, and there are from three 
to five pairs of these leaflets in every compound 
leaf. In shape the leaves are lanceolate although 
somewhat broader than the usual leaf of that 
shape. Is lanceolate a new word to you, Velma ? ” 

“ Yes. I do not think I ever heard it before.” 

“ Perhaps not, as it is used only in botany 
and zoology. It really means shaped like the 
head of a lance. A lanceolate leaf is longer than 
it is broad and tapers to a point at each end.” 


3i 


The Story of Mahogany 

“ Thank you. I understand. You have 
made it so plain that it seems as if I could see 
the leaf.” 

“ That is what I want to do. The flowers of 
the mahogany tree are in upward-growing pan¬ 
icles, which are loose clusters produced by the 
irregular branching of a flower stalk. The 
blossoms are white or pale yellow, and the sta¬ 
mens are united into a tube with eight or ten 
anthers within. This flower ripens into a five- 
celled capsule or seed vessel containing seeds 
winged at the point.” 

“ It almost takes my breath away to think of 
a tree like you growing from a tiny seed.” 

“ There are many more things that would 
seem strange to you in that far-off home of mine. 
It would take me hours, Velma, to tell you of 
all the strange plants that crowd the forest with 
a wealth of vivid coloring. From the tangle of 
verdure and bloom below, the tall trees shut out 
the sunlight. Then the woods ring with the 
cries of animals and the calls of birds. There 
are buzzards, strange and beautiful song birds, 
shrill-voiced parrots, and curious herons ; while 
monkeys chatter all the day, swinging them¬ 
selves from tree to tree.” 

“ It must be beautiful.” 


32 


The Furniture People 

“ It is beautiful, child, with a strange, wild 
charm that no one can put into words. I lived 
there so long, never dreaming of the changes 
years were to bring me. One day the woods 
were invaded by a party of men. Near my 
home they built a camp and began hunting 
for mahogany trees. Soon the work of destruc¬ 
tion began. My turn came, and I lay prostrate 
on the earth, my huge trunk having been sawn 
through.” 

“ You poor thing! ” Velma cried, winking 
hard to keep back the tears. 

“ Do not grieve, child ; it was all right. Thus 
far my life had been enjoyment; from that time 
on it was to be service. We are ofttimes fitted 
for service in what may seem to us strange 
ways.” 

There was a brief silence. Velma moved a 
little nearer to the table as the voice again took 
up its story. 

“ My trunk was roughly hewn and sawn into 
logs twelve or fifteen feet long. Before these 
could be moved a road must be built, and 
this took a long time. At last the logs were 
loaded on rude trucks and drawn, by oxen, to 
the river bank. There they were left until 
flood tide when they were rolled down the 


The Story of Mahogany 33 

bank into the stream and floated down to the 
sea.” 

“ Were you unhappy because you were leaving 
your dear home ? ” 

“ I could not feel otherwise than sad, yet the 
strange new life before me had a great fascina¬ 
tion. At the sea we found ships waiting for 
us. Before being loaded we were taken ashore 
and rehewed and all traces of our rough journey 
removed.” 

“ You must be of great value or men would 
not carry you so far.” 

“ You are right. Mahogany is one of the 
most valuable woods known. It is also very 
heavy, as you will learn if you will try to lift 
the table upon which your arm is resting. 
Articles of furniture are often made of some 
cheap wood and covered with a thin shell of 
mahogany. This is called veneering. People 
are sometimes deceived, buying a veneered arti¬ 
cle for a solid one.” 

“ You said something a while back that I did 
not understand.” Velma spoke timidly. “May 
I ask you about it? ” 

“ Certainly you may. It pleases me to see 
your interest and your desire to learn. What 
was it that puzzled you? ” 


34 The Furniture People 

“It was when you spoke of your history. 
Were you not always one of the furniture peo¬ 
ple ? 

“ Oh, I see what you mean ! I think there 
will be time for a wee story along that line be¬ 
fore Signor Malchi has finished his conversation 
with that customer. Velma, you know a little 
of the early history of this country. Can you 
not understand that there was a time when I 
was not known to civilized men ? ” 

“ Why, of course, I can. It was stupid in me 
not to think of it before. I forgot that a long 
time ago America was unknown to the rest of 
the people on the earth. Perhaps it does not 
seem so long ago to you.” 

“You cannot get over your surprise at my 
age. It may please you to learn that I owe my 
introduction to the notice of Europeans to a man 
connected with the early history of this country. 
Sir Walter Raleigh was a brave sailor, soldier, 
explorer, and warrior, as well as a scholar and 
an accomplished courtier. While on one of his 
voyages, he touched at Trinidad. This is one 
of the West Indies that lie not far from the 
coast of South America.” 

“ And he found you there ? ” Velma asked 
breathlessly. 


35 


The Story of Mahogany 

“ Not me, but some members of my family. 
One of Sir Walter’s ships was in need of repair. 
Wood was obtained from the near-by forest for 
this purpose. This wood was the first mahogany 
ever taken to Europe. Upon reaching England 
it was found that more extensive repairs must 
be made upon the same ship. The curious 
marking and the beautiful coloring of the rudely- 
hewn boards that were removed attracted the 
attention of the men who were at work. In that 
day every one was eager to know something of 
the strange new land beyond the sea. Another 
ship was soon to sail to the westward, and the 
crew were ordered to bring back more of this 
wood. It was a long time before any great 
amount was brought to Europe, but what did 
reach there commanded a fabulous price. The 
word mahogany as well as the botanical term 
mahogoni came from the Indian name of the 
tree.” 

Velma laid one hand caressingly upon the 
table’s top. 

“ It’s a long, long way from that strange 
forest to these little rooms of Signor Mai chi.” 

“ A long way, but it’s been only one step at a 
time. Hark ! Is not that your mother call- 


36 The Furniture People 

It was. Velma ran off to see what was 
wanted. It was not until she had reached her 
own home that she remembered. 

“ There ! I forgot to ask Mahogany if lie ever 
really did belong to Napoleon.” 


CHAPTER IV 


THE WHITE PINE TABLE 

It was a very warm morning. In the streets, 
bordered by rows of tenement houses, the rays 
of the sun beat down pitilessly, and there was 
not a breath of air stirring. 

Velma was very glad to carry her book and 
doll out to Signor MalchPs balcony. There the 
swaying vines shut out the rays of the sun, 
while the water, slowly flowing along beneath 
the little balcony, cooled the air. 

“ I am glad to he here,” Velma said aloud. 
You see she was so accustomed to playing alone 
that unconsciously she talked to herself. “ It’s 
lovely here, but I suppose it is even nicer in the 
real country.” 

“You suppose ! You poor little tot! It 
must be that you never saw the real country. 
This place is all very well, and Fm glad you 
have it, but I wish you could have a breath of 
forest air heavy with my fragrance. Oh, if I 
could be in my old home this morning, my 
tasseled head proudly reaching heavenward ! ” 

37 


38 The Furniture People 

Velma was much interested. It was—surely 
it was the old kitchen table which Signor 
Malclii had carried to the balcony to hold his 
potted plants. Well, a table represented one of 
the furniture people, this table as well as the 
one which might have belonged to Napoleon. 

“ You are-” and she stopped, her eyes 

fixed on the whitish surface of the table before 
her. 

“ White Pine, at your service. As I appear to 
you now, it is in humble guise, but I assure you 
that I am of good birth. My family is noted 
for usefulness, strength, and beauty.” 

“ Haven’t you any long Latin name? ” 

“ Is it because of my want of beauty that you 
think I lack a Latin name? Now, I can show 
as much Latin as the best. My name in full is 
Pinus Strobus. We—I and my relatives—are 
of the genus Pinus , family Coniferse. Don’t get 
puzzled by those names. A genus is a division 
of plants ranking below a family.” 

“ Are you a little or a big tree? ” 

“ That question shows, child, that you know 
nothing about me. I will have much to tell 
you. Before I speak of myself I want to tell 
you something of pines generally. There are 
about seventy kinds of pine trees, twenty-six of 



The White Pine Table 


39 


which grow in the United States. They are 
found almost exclusively in cold or temperate 
regions.” 

Velma had laid aside her doll and book. 
Now she sat down on a little stool and prepared 
to listen to all White Pine had to say. 

“ Some members of the Pine family are giants, 
reaching a height of three hundred feet. Our 
trunks are cylindrical and when young our 
bark is smooth, but in later years it is rough. 
There is a long trunk before branches are 
found. These branches differ from those of 
other trees. They grow in a circle round the 
trunk. Such an arrangement is called a whorl.” 

“ That’s an easy word to remember.” 

“ Most children find all these terms difficult 
to remember, but a little determination will 
conquer them. To go back to the Pine family, 
our leaves are entirely unlike those of most 
other trees. In the first place they are ever¬ 
green.” 

“I know what that means. They never fall 
off.” 

“ Not so fast, Miss Velma. Should you ever 
have the good fortune to walk in a pine forest, 
look upon the earth. You will find it strewn 
with the discarded leaves of the pine tree. 


40 


The Furniture People 

They do not fall all at once or on the ap¬ 
proach of winter, as do those of most other 
trees.” 

“ I’ll remember that. Now please tell me 
how else your leaves are different.” 

“ They are long and shaped like needles, even 
the point being perfect. Leaves of this shape 
are called acerose. They are stiff, and instead 
of growing singly, in pairs, or in pinnate form 
they are collected in little bundles called fas¬ 
cicles. Each bundle is bound together at the 
bottom by a tiny case known as a bract. Upon 
my parent tree each bract contained five needles, 
but the number varies in trees of different 
kinds. Other kinds of evergreens are usually 
grouped with pines. Some of these are the 
larch, hemlock, cedar, spruce, and fir. I am 
going to tell you first about myself. We are 
considered gloomy and sombre, because of the 
dark color of our foliage. Then, too, it grows so 
closely that it shuts out the rays of the sun. 
We are not gloomy though, even if we are a 
little sombre and grave.” 

“ There is one question I must ask you,” 
Velma cried. “ Do you have flowers? ” 

“Flowers? Of course 1 have them, Velma, 
although I must admit that they are rather in- 


The White Pine Table 


4i 

significant looking. My fruit is larger and 
attracts attention.” 

“ Flowers and fruit on an evergreen tree ! I 
would be surprised if I had not already heard 
so many strange things from you dear furniture 
people.” 

“ Bless you, child ! It does one good to meet 
such enthusiasm as yours. Now about my flow¬ 
ers. They resemble those of some of the trees 
of which you have already learned in the fact 
that there are two kinds : staminate and pistil¬ 
late. In the true pines, the first-named blossoms 
grow near the end of the lower branches. They 
look like wee catkins and produce the pollen.” 

Velma nodded her dark head. 

“ I understand about that, and I’ll remember 
about the pollen. But it’s your fruit that is 
puzzling me.” 

“ My fruit is more directly the product of the 
pistillate flowers, although it would never be 
perfected without the pollen. These pistillate 
flowers are higher up in the tree, and the pollen 
goes to them on the breath of the wind. The 
blossom begins life with much the appearance 
of a tiny twig. However, the parts that in a 
twig grow into leaves, in a flower flatten out and 
become thin scales. They continue to grow, and 


42 The Furniture People 

the blossom is called a cone, although, scientific¬ 
ally speaking, its correct name is a strobile. 7 ’ 

“ A cone,” the little girl repeated. “ Down at 
Cousin Edith’s—she has a lawn—there is a tree 
upon which grow cones. Edith calls it a Nor¬ 
way spruce.” 

“ Don’t you remember that I told you the 
spruce trees are related to us ? I am glad you 
have seen the cones of that tree, because it will 
help to bring the picture of a pine tree and its 
cones more plainly before you. The cones of 
the Norway spruce are large, in some cases six 
inches long. Those of the pine are pendulous, 
growing downward. There is always a sort of 
stem in the centre, called the axis. Round this 
the scales are arranged in rows, each row over¬ 
lapping the one preceding it. The seeds are 
borne on these scales, and after a time they 
grow to be a dark brown color.” 

The face of Velma had grown tender, and her 
voice trembled with feeling as she said, “ Does 
it not bring Him who made all things near, to 
learn that His works are so wonderful? ” 

“ It does. While I rejoice that He made man 
with his powerful intellect and immortal soul, I 
remember that He also called into being the 
plants that cover the face of the earth with 


The White Pine Table 


43 


beauty. The laws of seed life and the preser¬ 
vation of these plants received His attention. 
To the pine He gave the honor of being use¬ 
ful. We yield lumber, tar, pitch, and turpen¬ 
tine.” 

“ Do all evergreen trees have these same 
cones ? ” 

“ There is a slight difference in the form of 
both cones and leaves. The spruce has its 
needles arranged on all sides of its stem. The 
leaves of the hemlock are flattened, and they 
are arranged in two rows on the stalk ; the form 
of this compound leaf is that of a feather. In a 
fir tree the single-growing leaves are flattened 
and inclined upwards; the cones also grow 
upwards. Some cedars have their needle-like 
leaves growing in tufts, and the red cedar or 
juniper bears purple berries instead of cones.” 

“ Where did the tree of which you were a 
part grow ? ” 

“ My home was in a forest in northern Michi¬ 
gan. We are a social family ; where one pine 
is found, another is near. For long, happy years 
we stretched our roots downwards and our 
branches upwards, slowly fashioning the long, 
perfect trunk that would be of value to the 
lumberman.” 


44 


The Furniture People 

“ Do not pine trees sometimes grow on the 
sides of mountains ? ” 

“ Yes, they do. Again they are found on 
low, sandy tracts of land where the soil is too 
poor to produce anything else. In the southern 
part of the United States, especially near the 
Atlantic coast, there are extensive regions 
known as Pine Barrens and covered with a 
growth of low, scrubby trees.’ 7 

“ Are you an old tree? 1 mean did people 
know about you long ago? ” 

“ Some species of my family have been known 
to the world for generations. The cedar is one 
of these. Long, long ago the Psalmist wrote, 
1 The righteous shall flourish like the palm-tree ; 
he shall grow like a cedar.’ In the Bible we also 
read how the temple at Jerusalem and Solomon’s 
house were built largely of fir and cedar.” 

“ Yes, I have read that.” 

“ The great Shakespeare mentioned me. In 
‘ The Tempest ’ Ariel, a sprite, was imprisoned 
by an evil spirit within ‘ a cloven pine.’ Pros- 
pero tells him ‘ thou didst vent thy groans as 
fast as mill-wheels strike.’ This reminds me 
that I have told you nothing of what is some¬ 
times called ‘ the song of the pine.’ ” 

“ How nice that sounds ! What is it? ” 


The White Pine Table 


45 


“ The wind produces in the branches of the 
pine-tree a peculiar soft and continuous sound. 
This has been noted by the poets of all ages, and 
many beautiful things have been said about it. 
It has a plaintive note, and by some is con¬ 
sidered sad.” 

“ Why does the wind make a sound in the 
pine so different from that made by it in other 
trees ? ” 

“ Because of the unusual formation of the 
leaves. They are so narrow and so dense-grow¬ 
ing, that this peculiarity adapts them to resist 
the force of the wind, and the sound made by it 
is more gentle.” 

“ I am so glad you told me that. Pine, I like 
you even-” 

Velma stopped short, and the voice said, a 
ripple of laughter in its notes : 

“ Even if I am a kitchen table. Well, I have 
been a useful article, and have been true and 
honest. It is not given to all to occupy posi¬ 
tions of beauty and nobility. Before you go I 
want to tell you a few of the pretty things that 
our own poet Longfellow has said of my rela¬ 
tives. Have you read 4 Hiawatha ’ ? ” 

“ Oh, yes. We had it in school last year, and 
we thought it was the dearest thing.” 



46 


The Furniture People 

“ In 1 Hiawatha’s Sailing,’ after the birch and 
the cedar had given to the Indian youth of their 
bark and their branches, he asked the larch for 
his fibrous roots to bind together the canoe. 

“ ‘The Larch with all its fibres 
Shivered in the air of morning, 

Touched his forehead with its tassels/ 

and granted the request.” 

“ I remember that, but now I can see the tree 
as you tell it. Was there not something about 
the fir also ? ” 

“ To the demand of her balsam, 

“ ‘ The Fir Tree, tall and sombre, 

Sobbed through all its robes of darkness, 

Rattled like a shore with pebbles, 

Answered wailing, answered sobbing, 

Take my balsam, O Hiawatha ! ’ ” 





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It was the old kitchen table which Signor Malchi had carried to the balcony 























































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Before Signor Malclii could reply a customer entered the room 






























































CHAPTER V 


A CHERRY CHAT 

“ Cousin Edith ” was Velma’s good fairy. 
So it came about one after non, when that lady 
had returned from spending a few days in the 
country, that she sent Velma a basket. It was 
heavy, and a paper was securely tied over the 
top. 

“ What can it be, mother?” the child asked. 
“ I know it is something nice.” 

“We shall soon see.” 

Mrs. Lee brought the scissors and cut the cord 
which held the paper in place. 

“ Oh ! oh ! ” Velma cried, dancing around the 
table on which the basket stood. “ Cousin 
Edith is the dearest woman ! Was there ever 
anything so pretty ? ” 

The basket was lined with green leaves. Two 
white boxes rested among these, one filled with 
late cherries and the other with red raspberries. 
There were also a cluster of fragrant sweet peas, 
a tiny Avood fern growing in a pot, and a new 
book. 


47 


48 


The Furniture People 

After Velma had admired her gifts and talked 
them over with her mother, she began to think 
of sharing them with others. 

“ There are things enough here to make a lot 
of people happy,” she said. 

The sweet peas were divided, one bunch to be 
taken to the sick lady on the upper floor. A 
dish of red raspberries was set aside for Mary 
Flynn, the sewing girl who lived across the hall. 
For Signor Malchi the little girl selected two 
dozen of the largest and finest cherries. They 
were arranged in a pretty dish and bordered 
with green leaves. 

The face of the Italian beamed with pleasure. 

“ It is most good in you, my child, to remem¬ 
ber old Malchi. Ah, the pretty cherries! 
They make me think of the far-gone days when 
I was young and gathered them—red as one’s 
life blood—from the green boughs. That was in 
sunny Italy, my own dear home ! ” 

“ Does this same kind of cherry grow there ? ” 
Velma asked. 

Before Signor Malchi could reply to her ques¬ 
tion, a customer entered the room. Velma 
scowled. It did seem as if that was always the 
way—-just as the good Signor was ready to say 
something interesting, a customer appeared. 


49 


A Cherry Chat 

Then she remembered that her friend was al¬ 
ways glad to see customers. Why, if none came 
the old man would have no way to earn his 
bread. 

“ IT1 wait until he comes back, though, for I 
want to hear about the cherries.” 

“ Why not let me tell you, Velma? I think 
I am better informed than even your good 
Signor.” 

“ You ! ” and Velma stared blankly at the lit¬ 
tle rocking-chair. “ What do you know about 
these cherries ? ” 

“ I know that they are the fruit of my cousin. 
Sit down here in my lap, little girl, and I will 
tell you all about it. Don’t be afraid of hurt¬ 
ing me. I am young and strong, for I have 
been a chair only three years. The way that I 
came to be here was this ; one of my rockers 
became loose, so I had to be sent away from 
home for repairs. This kind old man has made 
me as good as new.” 

The chair was a simple one with a cane seat 
and back. The frame was of a reddish wood 
and highly polished. 

Velma sat down, after having placed the dish 
of fruit on the table. She did not quite under¬ 
stand, so she asked : 


50 The Furniture People 

“ Are you one of the furniture people ? And 
how are you related to the cherries ? ” 

“ One question at a time, if you please. Yes, 
I am one of the furniture people. My name is 
Wild Black Cherry. The fruit on the table 
grew on one of my cousins, and he is usually 
known simply as Cherry. Our botanical name 
is Cerasus which came from the name of the 
ancient city Cerasus. We are of the genus 
Prunus” 

“ I don’t understand yet,” Velma cried. “ I 
thought fruit and furniture people were—well, 
different.” 

There was a merry laugh before Wild Cherry 
said, “ We—my cousin who provides the deli¬ 
cious fruit and myself—are two members of the 
same family. He is cultivated for his fruit, his 
wood being of little value. My fruit is not con¬ 
sidered good as an article of food, but the wood 
of my trunk is used to make many pretty ar¬ 
ticles of furniture.” 

“ Thank you. I see how it is now. Will you 
tell me how you look ? ” 

“ Certainly I will. Doubtless it will be more 
polite if I begin with the head of the family 
Cherry.” 

“ Oh yes, I want to hear about him! ” 


5i 


A Cherry Chat 

“ The cherry tree does not grow tall, but has 
wide-spreading limbs. It has smooth, shiny 
leaves, and earty in the spring it is covered with 
white blossoms. These come just before or with 
the leaves. They are in clusters. Each flower 
is a complete one, with a green calyx, broad 
white petals, and many yellow stamens. A 
prettier sight than a tree loaded with white 
blossoms is not often seen.” 

Velma leaned forward, her breath coming fast. 

“ It seems as if I could see just how it 
looks.” 

“ Doubtless some day you will really see it. 
In Japan the cherry is raised extensively, and 
the blossoming time is one of general rejoicing. 
People make long journeys to see the fine groves 
that are in some parts of the country, and there 
is much merrymaking and feasting. This time 
is called the ‘ Festival of the Cherry Blossoms.’ ” 

“ Do they not celebrate the time when the de¬ 
licious fruit ripens? ” 

“ Not with so much rejoicing. Cherries grow 
in clusters called umbels or racemes. Each in¬ 
dividual cherry is pendent from a stem or pedi¬ 
cel, and these unite at one point. The fruit is a 
drupe.” 

“ A drupe ! I thought it was a cherry.” 


52 The Furniture People 

Wild Cherry joined in Velma’s laugh. After 
a moment he went on to explain the new 
term. 

“ A drupe is a fleshy fruit. This fleshy part 
is known as the sarcocarp and has in its centre 
a single hard stone. This stone, which in the 
cherry is often called the pit, encloses the seed. 
Velma, can you name any other fruit which is a 
drupe?” 

“ Yes, there is the peach.” 

“ The plum is another. Then there is the 
date, the fruit of the date palm. There are 
many different varieties of this cherry of which 
I have been telling you. It has been greatly 
improved by cultivation.” 

“Now about yourself,” Velma volunteered. 
“ Do you always grow wild ? ” 

“ Yes. I am found in many parts of the 
United States. My general habits of growth are 
much like those of my cousin, except that I am 
taller, and my blossoms are less beautiful.” 

“ Do you have fruit ? ” 

“ Yes, but it is seldom eaten save by the wild 
birds. They flit about among our branches, 
paying us for their meals by sweet songs. Oc¬ 
casionally an adventurous schoolboy clambers 
into our boughs and finds that the black, berry- 


A Cherry Chat 53 

like drupes are agreeable to the taste even if 
somewhat piquant.” 

u It is too bad that you do not receive more 
-” Velma began, but Wild Cherry inter¬ 
rupted her with a ringing laugh. 

“ Do not think for a minute, Velma, that 
am unhappy or that I envy my relatives. In 
deed, I would not exchange places with Cherry. 
Often his surroundings are artificial, while mine 
are close to nature’s , heart. Then, even if my 
fruit is not so eagerly sought, while growing I 
am slowly building up a strong body which will 
some day prove a blessing to mankind. That is 
the way we all feel.” 

“ It is beautiful in you to feel that way ! ” 
the little girl cried. “ Do cherries grow in all 
parts of the world ? Signor Malchi spoke of 
their being found in Italy.” 

“ Various species of the fruit can be found in 
many countries. It may interest you to know 
that in parts of Germany the public roads for 
miles are shaded by rows of cherry trees.” 

“ They must be very pretty, but I should 
think those who pass along the road would 
gather the fruit.” 

“ They are welcome to it, as welcome as they 
are to the refreshing shade. France, also, has 



54 The Furniture People 

many cherry trees, and in some parts of this 
country during their season they furnish a con¬ 
siderable part of the food of the charcoal-burn¬ 
ers, and the wood-cutters. One of the dishes 
they make is cherry soup.” 

The little girl opened her dark eyes very 
wide. 

“ That must be a queer dish ; but it may be 
that some of ours would be as strange to the 
French people.” 

“ Perhaps so. I am not the only variety of 
the wild cherry. There are several that are 
natives of the Old World. One of these, Cerasus 
Avium , is valuable for its strong, close-grained 
wood. This wood is used in the making of mu¬ 
sical instruments.” 

Velma rocked slowly back and forth in the 
chair. She was much interested in the cherry 
tree. It was as if she could see it, the bright- 
colored fruit peering from among the softly- 
swaying green leaves. Surely the sound that 
she heard was the wind in those same leaves. 
No, it was Wild Cherry’s voice. He was say¬ 
ing : 

“ I have another good point. My bark is 
considered of medicinal value. Even my fruit 
is sometimes used for that purpose.” 


55 


A Cherry Chat 

“ I am so glad that I came in while you were 
here, Wild Cherry ! ” And Velma stroked the 
arm of the chair with soft touches. “It is a 
beautiful thing to be a tree.” 

“ I think so. Now let me tell you something 
said of me by Longfellow, who has so often been 
called the 1 children’s poet.’ In his ‘ Autumn ’ 
you may read, 

“ ‘The purple fiuch, 

That ou wild cherry and red cedar feeds, 

A winter bird, comes with its plaintive whistle.’ ” 

“ Are there any more stories or poems about 
you or your cousins ? ” 

“ There is a story about my cousin, but, 
Velma, I am sure you must know it.” 

“ I ? Why I am sure I never heard it.” 

“ It cannot be possible that so patriotic a little 
lassie as you are has not heard of the boy¬ 
hood of George Washington. You know he 
owned a hatchet.” 

“ A- Oh, it was a cherry tree that some 

people say he cut down ! ” 

Just then Signor Malchi, whose customer had 
departed, turned towards Velma, and she hast¬ 
ened to him with the dish of cherries. 



CHAPTER VI 


THE TALE OF THE EBONY WRITING DESK 

One warm day Velma’s mother had a severe 
headache. The little girl was sorry, and she 
was also much disappointed, for Mrs. Lee had 
promised to take her daughter to the park that 
afternoon. 

“ It is too bad, dear. Perhaps we can go on 
Monday,” the mother said faintly. 

Velma made no reply. She stood at the win¬ 
dow, looking out into the narrow street. It had 
been so long since she had seen the waving 
leaves and the gleaming, sunlighted waters 
of the park fountains ! 

She was turning away from the window, a 
feeling of impatience at her heart, when she 
chanced to get a glimpse of her mother’s white, 
sorrowful face. 

“ How bad she is feeling! Poor mother! 
Velma Lee, I am ashamed of you.” 

That was what the little girl said to herself. 
Before speaking aloud, she brought a basin of 
56 


The Ebony Writing Desk 57 

fresh water and began to bathe her mother’s 
head. 

“ Monday will do just as well ; I will have 
two more days to think about it. Now you are 
to go to sleep and dream of the country ; then 
I’ll go out on the balcony. It may be that I 
shall find some of the furniture people there.” 

Velma did not stir until her mother’s closed 
eyes and regular breathing, showed that she 
was sleeping. Then the child tiptoed across 
the room and carefully closed the door behind 
her. Once in the hall, she hastened to the rooms 
of the old Italian. 

He looked up from his work with his usual 
grave, kindly smile. 

“ A new friend for you is on the balcony. I 
took it out there where the air was cool to give 
it the grand polish. It is old, yes, very old.” 

A few moments more, and Velma stood before 
a quaint old writing desk. It was made of a 
strange black wood. Occasionally this wood was 
crossed by an irregular streak of a dark yel¬ 
lowish-brown. The entire surface was glossy, 
being so well polished that it reflected the ob¬ 
jects before it, although in a strange blurred way. 

The form of the desk was not like those with 
which Velma was familiar. The upper part 


58 The Furniture People 

was carved and inlaid with a few pieces of yel¬ 
lowish ivory. Beneath this was a wide shelf 
for books. Then came a slanting lid covering 
a space divided into many small compartments. 
This lid was rich with carvings in high relief 
and, when let down, formed a table for writing. 
The whole rested on a stout, table-like frame 
from which four heavy legs reached to the 
floor. 

Velma peered into the compartments. Some 
were closed by tiny doors, and others were filled 
by shallow drawers. Both doors and drawers 
opened by means of button-like ivory knobs. 

“ Yes, you are old, old,” the little girl said, 
a thrill of reverence in her voice. “ I think it 
must be nearly one hundred years since some 
one’s hands fashioned 3^011 into this desk.” 

“It is a little more than that. I have held 
many secrets since that day. Sometimes I have 
stood in baronial halls, for I first lived far over 
the sea. Again, for a score of years, I was the 
property of a miserly lawyer who prized me 
only because my lock was strong.” 

u And now ? ” Velma asked. “To whom do 
you now belong? ” 

The highly-polished surface of the desk shone, 
as if a ray of sunlight had fallen upon it. 


The Ebony Writing Desk 59 

“ Now, 1 am to have a new home. It is to be 
the study of a sweet-faced young girl to whom 
God has given the poet’s gift. Ah, it is a price¬ 
less boon ! Upon my table she will record the 
visions that come to her.” 

“Where was your first home? Why, you 
have forgotten to tell me who you are, but 
I am sure you must belong to a distinguished 
family.” 

“ I am considered valuable, both because of 
my rareness, and because it costs a great deal to 
bring me from my native country to the place 
where I am to be used in the manufacture of 
furniture. My family name is Diospyros. As 
one of the furniture people I am Ebony. This 
name has a curious derivation. It came from a 
Hebrew word, hobnm, meaning stone. The 
Greek form of the same word was ebenos , and 
the Latin ebenum .” 

“ Where do ebony trees grow ? ” 

“ I grew in Ceylon, and it is from that 
country, or island, I should say, that the best 
specimens of wood come. The trees are also 
found in India and Madagascar. The West 
Indies also yield a kind of ebony, the Brya 
Ebenus .” 

“ Are all kinds as pretty as you are? ” 


6o 


The Furniture People 

“ Thank you. That is a graceful compliment. 
Ebony is always dark, although some species are 
lighter than myself. A few have a greenish- 
brown tint. All take a high polish.” 

“ I should like to know how you—the tree 
that was you—looks, if you please.” 

“ I shall be very glad to tell you. My parent 
tree was tall, for we all reach a great size. The 
leaves of the ebony tree are oblong, thick, and 
shining. They are deciduous. I think you 
know what that means.” 

“ It means that they fall off every year.” 

“ Yes, that is right. I have an abundance of 
small white flowers. Their petals are white, yet 
a short time after opening they are tinged with 
red. There is one peculiarity about my trunk 
that I want to make plain to you.” 

Velma had been leaning against the desk. 
She now stood upright and prepared to listen 
with the utmost attention. 

“ My trunk is what is called an exogenus 
stem. This means that it grows from the out¬ 
side, the new growth being an external addition. 
My wood is desirable only when mature. So 
what is called the heartwood—really the inside 
part of the trunk—is all that is carried away 
from the country where the tree grows. Some 


6i 


The Ebony Writing Desk 

of the ebony trees of Ceylon are so large that 
logs of this heartwood are twelve or fifteen 
feet long and two feet in diameter.” 

“ I should not think there would be enough 
of you to make much furniture.” 

“ We are seldom made into solid pieces of 
furniture. Ebony is used principally for ve¬ 
neering. This desk is made of a cheaper and 
lighter wood and covered with a thin sheet of 
ebony. No, it is not deceit, not in most cases at 
least, as it is universally understood that furni¬ 
ture is not made of solid ebony. Now, I am 
going to take a moment to tell you a little of 
the beauties of my old home, Ceylon.” 

“ I suppose the trees and flowers there are 
very different from ours.” 

“ They are. Although more than a century 
has passed since I left my home, I still love to 
think of it. Vegetation grows luxuriantly in 
that damp, moist climate. One of the wonder¬ 
ful trees is the India-rubber, although this one 
is not so productive as the one of South Amer¬ 
ica. Palms of many kinds grow in Ceylon. 
One of these—the fan palm—spreads out its 
broad leaves like a peacock’s tail. The acacia 
tree, too, is beautiful, being covered with a pro¬ 
fusion of golden-yellow flowers. The cinnamon 


62 The Furniture People 

tree is also found there, and its pure white blos¬ 
soms are very attractive.” 

“ How beautiful it must be ! ” 

“ There are many other wonders. One of 
these is the nepenthes or ‘ pitcher plant/ It 
has a great butterfly-like blossom whose pale 
green petals are veined with maroon. The 
frangipani is another magnificent plant having 
golden-hearted white blossoms, whose fragrance 
is much like that of their cousin, the jasmine/’ 

“ Were you known to men long ago? ” 

“ Yes, very long ago. In the strange old 
Egyptian tombs, paintings have been discov¬ 
ered, proving that I was known to that nation 
at an early date. These pictures show the 
Egyptian envoys receiving ebony logs from 
tribes obliged to pay tribute to Egypt. There 
is no doubt that ebony was known in that 
country fifteen hundred years before the birth 
of our Saviour.” 

“ Oh, I cannot even imagine things happen¬ 
ing so long ago as that! ” 

“ It certainly is a long time ago. After that 
1 was well known to the Greeks and Romans. 
It is supposed that they obtained ebony from 
India and also from Madagascar. About this 
time the inlaying of my dark wood with ivory 


The Ebony Writing Desk 63 

was introduced. The contrast made a fine effect. 
You will find ebony mentioned in the Old Tes¬ 
tament. The prophet Ezekiel, in recording the 
riches of the city Tyrus says, ‘ They brought 
thee for a present horns of ivory and ebony. 7 ” 
Just then Signor Malchi came out upon the 
balcony. Velma looked up at him, her face 
sparkling with delight. 

“ It is such a dear old desk ! 77 
“ Yes, and it has held many, many strange 
things. The hates and the loves—they have 
been locked up in it. Now the ones who loved 
and hated—ah, they have gone away, but the 
desk is still here. 77 


CHAPTER VII 


WHAT VELMA LEARNED OF THE MAPLE 

“ ‘For peace and for plenty, for freedom, for rest, 

For joy in the land from the East to the West, 

For the dear starry flag with its red, white and blue, 

We thank Thee from hearts that are honest and true.’ ” 

Velma was singing softly to herself as she 
entered the largest of the rooms of Signor 
Malchi. 

“ I like to sing Thanksgiving and Christmas 
songs when it is so hot,” she had said the day 
before. “ It makes me feel cool.” 

Just as she stopped singing, the little girl’s 
eyes rested on a piece of furniture that she had 
never seen before. She started. 

“ Why, what is that ? It is—well, it is_” 

“ Grandma Bartley’s chest of drawers,” a crisp 
voice said. “ Dear me ! What are the children 
of this generation coming to ? Not to know a 
chest of drawers! There, child, do not look so 
fiightened. I don t suppose you are to blame, 
but trouble is likely to make one impatient.” 

64 



What Velma Learned of the Maple 65 

Velma looked wistfully at the chest of 
drawers. There were four drawers, one above 
the other, and they were wide and deep. The 
top of the chest or “ bureau,” as some people 
called it, was smooth and plain. 

The little girl bent closer to examine the 
wood. It was of a very light yellow, almost 
white, in fact, and had a satin-like luster. 
Wavy dots and lines marked its surface. Some¬ 
how it made Velma think of the shifting lights 
and shades seen in the folds of Cousin Edith’s 
satin dinner dress. 

“It is too bad that you are in trouble. Can¬ 
not I help you ? ” 

“ No, dear heart, although your sympathy 
does lighten the load a little. You see, I am 
old-fashioned, and am sent off here because no 
one of the family wants me. Sixty years ago 
when Grandma Bartley—she was a pretty girl 
then—began housekeeping, I went into the new 
home with her. All those years I was her 
friend. My drawers held the clothes for her 
children, and it was from one of them that the 
little white robe for her dead baby was taken. 
Even when she grew old and feeble she trusted 
me with her treasures. But now she is dead, 
and none of the family want the old chest of 


66 The Furniture People 

drawers. So here I am in Signor Malchi’s 
rooms, seeking a purchaser.” 

“ I am sure you will find one who will give 
you a good home. The Signor says old-fasli- 
ioned things are much sought for now.” 

“ Is that so ? Some one may come to care for 
me yet. You have done me good, dear child. 
Now draw that chair close up to my side, and 
1 will tell you all about myself and my place in 
the furniture world.” 

Velma hastened to do the bidding of the 
voice. As she sat down she brushed her finger¬ 
tips lightly over the wood of the chest and 
said : 

“ It is so shiny and pretty ! ” 

“ Thank you. I am Maple of the genus Acer. 
That is a Latin word and means sharp. Some 
scholars say that it was applied to the trees now 
known as maples because their hard wood was 
used for making spears.” 

Velma nodded her head. 

“ I wonder and wonder over the nice stories 
there are about things. Even words have whole 
stories to them.” 

“ The world is indeed filled with marvelous 
tales. As for myself, I am Hard or Sweet 
Maple, botanically known as Acer Saccharinum. 


What Velma Learned of the Maple 67 

I have still other names. These waves and dots 
in my wood have given me the name of Bird’s 
Eye, or Curly Maple.” 

“ You have a good many names. Are there 
other kinds of maple trees ? ” 

“ Oh, yes. In all, there are eighty varieties, 
eight or nine of which are found in the United 
States. They grow in the temperate zones. Mv 
own particular species is found from Canada to 
Georgia, and from Nova Scotia to the Rocky 
Mountains. In height, we range from forty to 
eighty feet, and our trunks are sometimes four 
feet in diameter.” 

“ Why, I know you ! ” Velma cried breath¬ 
lessly. “ Yesterday mamma and I went to the 
park, and I am sure it is one of your brothers or 
cousins that grows near the gate.” 

“ Doubtless it is. We are largely cultivated 
as shade trees. When one of us gets full-grown, 
our gnarled roots may often be found on the 
top of the ground. Upon a young tree the 
bark is slightly furrowed, and the color is gray 
clouded with umber.” 

“ Umber ! What is that ? ” 

“ It is a dark brownish tint. As the maple 
tree grows older its bark becomes shaggy with 
long, deep furrows and woody ridges.” 


68 


The Furniture People 

“ This tree at the park had rough bark and 
pretty leaves.” 

“ Did you notice that the leaves grew opposite 
to each other in pairs ? ” 

Velma’s face grew red. 

“ I never thought to look. I wish I had.” 

“ Well, you will the next time. The leaves 
have long, slender stems. Mine are nearly 
round with blunt notches, while the notches of 
Silver Maple are sharp. Botanically speaking, 
the shape of the maple leaf is palmate.” 

The voice paused a moment, and Velma ven¬ 
tured to say : 

“ That is another new word.” 

“ Ah, I thought so. A palmate leaf is one 
having five divisions or lobes. The word comes 
from palma and means hand.” 

“ Oh, I see! The maple leaf is not shaped 
like a hand, but there are just as many lobes as 
the hand has fingers.” 

“ I am glad to see, Velma, that you are think¬ 
ing as well as listening. On the hard maple, 
the leaves and flowers come together. These 
last-named are in axillary corymbs. Have you 
had the meaning of that last word explained to 
you?” 

“ No,” and Velma looked much puzzled. 


What Velma Learned of the Maple 69 

“I do not know what either of the words 
mean.” 

“ Then I will tell you. A corymb is a flat- 
topped flower cluster. The hard maple’s corymbs 
are pendulous on thread-like pedicels. Axillary 
has reference to their place of growth. An 
axil is the angle formed by the junction of the 
upper part of a leaf-stalk with a stem or branch. 
Axillary means growing from this angle or 
axil.” 

“ Thank you. I understand now.” 

“ Each of these flowers of mine has a bell¬ 
shaped, fringed calyx with eight or ten stamens 
within. The flowers of a cousin of mine, Red 
or Swamp Maple, are quite different. They 
come very early and are bright red tufts. The 
poet Lowell calls them 4 the maple’s corals.’ 
These blossoms grow so quickly that the whole 
tree seems to be colored red.” 

“ The maple tree does not have fruit, does 
it?” 

“ Yes, Velma, it does bear a fruit, although it 
is very unlike that to which the name is usually 
applied. It is really a seed vessel and is flat and 
two-winged. Such a fruit is called a samara. 
Red Maple’s flowers, as I said, come very early. 
In May his seeds fall, and they soon germinate. 


70 The Furniture People 

Mine remain on the tree until autumn, and 
they do not start to grow until the following 
spring.” 

“ I should think Red Maple’s flowers would 
freeze if they start so early.” 

“ The buds while growing are protected by 
scales. These are brown and shining coats that 
turn aside both wind and rain. Then, when 
the flower does appear, the inner part—really 
the germ—is still protected by the red cloak of 
the corolla.” 

“ Oh, I have just thought of something ! ” and 
Velma sprang up, clapping her hands. “ You 
said one of your names was Sugar Maple. Do 
you have anything to do with maple sugar? ” 

“ I have a great deal to do with it, as it is 
made from my sap. This sap is obtained early 
in the spring before the leaves start. A hole is 
made in the trunk of the tree, and from this the 
sap runs, by way of a tiny trough, into a bucket. 
This sap is boiled, first to syrup. The boiling is 
continued until the syrup granulates, when it is 
maple sugar.” 

“ And a delicious thing it is ! ” 

u I think all children and not a few grown 
people will agree with you. Now have you 
heard enough about me, or shall I tell you of 


What Velma Learned of the Maple 71 

the wondrous coloring that autumn brings to 
my foliage ? ” 

“ Tell me that, please. I could not hear too 
much about you.” 

“ Too much cannot be said about the beauty 
of my leaves in autumn. When that season 
comes, our summer’s work is finished. We 
have worked hard, for growing is no easy thing. 
Our stock of wood has been added to. The 
water from the soil and the gas from the air 
have been mixed in the right proportions, and 
even the winter buds are already at the end of 
the branches. These are coated with resinous 
scales and lined with vegetable wool. When all 
is ready for our winter’s rest, our green leaves 
change to scarlet, yellow, and crimson. For a 
few days before the leaves fall, the woods are a 
dream of beauty. It is our great holiday time.” 

“ Mother has told me about the woods in the 
fall. Some day I shall see them for myself.” 

“ When you do, notice the shades of the color¬ 
ing. One who looked upon them with an artist’s 
eye said there was 4 red of every shade from crim¬ 
son to cherry, yellow from bright sulphur to 
orange, brown from clove-brown to liver-brown, 
and green from grass-green to olive-green.’ ” 

“ It is—it must be a picture.” 


72 


The Furniture People 

“ It is a picture, of which Nature is the artist. 
It is a picture containing 

“ ‘All the hues 

The rainbow knows, and .all that met the eye 

In flowers of field and garden.’ ” 

“ Tell me something more that the poets have 
said,” Velma coaxed, nestling close to the chest 
of drawers. “ It makes me feel as I do when I 
hear the great organ at church.” 

“ When you are older, I hope you will come 
to know the writings of John Burroughs. He 
may be called a prose poet. In his ‘ Autumn 
Fields,’ he has much to say of my coloring. 
One thought is, ‘ When the maples have burst 
out into color, showing like great bonfires along 
the hills, there is indeed a feast to the eye.’ 
Further on, he tells us how the sunlight, falling 
through my leaves, fills the air with a ‘ soft 
golden glow.’ ” 

“ I will read his books some day.” 

“ Now, there is just time for this bit from Mrs. 
Whitney: 

“ ‘ The leaves are ripe ; earth everywhere 
Is gorgeous with their color stain ; 

A glory streams through all the air, 

Like light in church through tinted pane.’ ” 

As Velma made her way across the hall, this 
beautiful verse kept ringing in her ears. 



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CHAPTER VIII 


A PLEASANT LUNCH WITH THE ASH TABLE 

One evening, a carriage halted in the street 
before the tenement house. The richly-dressed 
lady who descended from it did not go to the 
rooms of Signor Mai chi, but to those of Mrs. 
Lee. 

It proved to be Mrs. Harrison, a lady for 
whom Velma’s mother had done embroidery 
and lacework. She came to see if Mrs. Lee 
would come to her home and mend some pieces 
of rare old lace. 

Velma’s mother was very glad of the work, 
and the price offered was an excellent one. 
However, she hesitated about promising to go. 
If she did so her little daughter must stay alone 
all day. 

“ I will not mind it, not very much,” the 
child said. “ You know I play on the balcony 
so much of the time, and Signor Malchi will be 
company for me.” 

So it was arranged that Mrs. Lee should go to 
the home of Mrs. Harrison at nine o’clock the 
73 


74 The Furniture People 

next morning. The kind old Italian offered to 
see that no harm came to Velma. 

Mrs. Lee arranged Velma’s dinner on a tray 
and covered it with a snowy cloth. This was to 
be a surprise, the little girl agreeing not to lift 
the cover until dinner time. 

After finishing the morning work, the child 
settled down to enjoy the new book sent her by 
Cousin Edith. She knew that Signor Malchi 
was at work on the balcony and thought she 
would not go there until he had finished. 

Velma became so much interested in her book 
that she failed to notice how time was flying. 
It was noon when Signor Malchi rapped upon 
her door. He was ready to go to the little 
near-by cafe where he took his meals. 

“ There is a dining-room table on the bal¬ 
cony,” he said, a twinkle in his eyes. “ I have 
been cleaning it up. It is a new one of what 
you call the furniture people. Let me carry the 
tray out there. You can eat the lunch in the 
shade of the vines.” 

Velma was delighted. The Signor carried the 
tray out to the balcony. Upon the table there 
was already a great golden orange, a pitcher of 
iced lemonade, and a quaint cup ; and beside it 
was a little three-legged stool that Signor Malchi 


A Pleasant Lunch 


75 

had placed there for her. Then the old man 
took his departure, bidding Velma to lock the 
door behind him. 

After doing that, the little girl returned to 
the balcony. She stood a moment looking out 
at the water, which was rippling and dancing 
under a slight breeze. Then, advancing to the 
table, she threw back the cloth. 

“ She is such a dear good mother! ” was the 
child's first exclamation. “ It looks—well, good 
enough to eat." 

There were peanut sandwiches made of brown 
bread, a bit of celery, some cookies, and a bowl 
of blackberries. All was arranged with dainty 
care and looked most appetizing. 

Before sitting down, Velma noticed the table 
upon which her lunch was placed. It had a 
large square top, and the legs were stiff and 
straight. The wood was light-colored, close- 
grained, and seemed tough and elastic. 

“ Would you like me to tell you my story 
while you are at lunch ? ” a voice asked. “ You 
see, so much of my life, I mean since I was a 
table, has been connected with people’s eating 
that I am most at ease then.” 

“ I should enjoy it very much, thank you,” 
Velma said politely. Then she added, “ Signor 


76 The Furniture People 

Malchi said you were a new friend, but you look 
much like oak.” 

“ There is some resemblance in the two woods. 
I am, Ash of the genus Fraxinus , a member of 
the great Olive or Oleacex family. This is my 
native country, and I am commonly called 
White Ash to distinguish me from the rest of 
my family, for I have several cousins.” 

“ Are you found in all parts of the United 
States? I hope you do not mind my asking- 
questions.” 

“ I am glad I can interest you enough to have 
you ask questions. I am not found to any 
extent in the extreme South, but am abundant 
in Canada and New Brunswick. I grow to a 
great size, my trunk sometimes rising undivided 
to a height of forty feet. The bark of the 
white ash is lighter in color than is that of the 
other varieties.” 

Velma was too much interested to eat; in 
fact, she forgot her lunch and leaned far over 
the table, listening intently. 

“ Do not forget your sandwiches, Velma, in 
listening to my story. Next come my leaves. 
They are deciduous and pinnate, also of a lighter 
shade of green than are those of the other ash 
trees.” 


A Pleasant Lunch 


77 

“ Of course you have flowers? ” the little girl 
said in a tone that made the words a question. 
At the same time she took a bite of the celery. 

“ Yes, I have flowers, but I must admit that 
they are not marked by any particular beauty. 
These blossoms grow in racemes and spring from 
the axil of the leaves of the previous year. In 
some kinds of ash trees the calyx of the flower 
is missing, but this is not the case with mine.” 

“ When the flowers fade, what comes then ? ” 

“ A seed vessel called a samara. This is foli- 
aceous at its upper end. What is the trouble, 
Velma? I see that you look puzzled.” 

“It is that word—foliaceous.” 

“ Why, foliaceous means like a leaf, and the 
end of the ash samara is leaf-shaped. This fruit 
is simply, as in the case of most trees, a recepta¬ 
cle for the seeds.” 

“ I often think how beautiful it must be to be 
a tree,” Velma said thoughtfully. Then she 
gave the top of the table a caressing little touch. 
“ After that it must be dreadful to be a table.” 

“ No, dear child, it is not dreadful. It has 
also been a beautiful thing to have a family 
gather around me three times each day and 
thank God for His blessings. My years as a tree 
were delightful ones, but it is right that I should 


78 The Furniture People 

be of service to some one. When you are a 
woman, Velma, you will understand that it is 
God’s will that years of usefulness should follow 
those of joy and freedom from care.” 

“ I see, and it is a lovely thing to remember,” 
Velma said softly. “ Have you not something 
more to tell me ? ” 

“ There is much more to tell. Long, long ago 
I was venerated by the people of Scandinavia, 
The mythology of that country gives a strange 
story about the first man and the first woman 
who inhabited the earth. Their names are 
given as Ask (Ash) and Embla (Elm). The 
story runs that a new world called Midgard had 
been formed and was placed midway between 
the lands of frost and fire. There were no in¬ 
habitants save the gods, the chief of whom was 
Odin. Two pieces of wood were found floating 
in the sea near Midgard. These the gods fash¬ 
ioned into Ask and Embla. I had still another 
place in this mythology. It was under the ash 
tree, Ygdrasil, that the gods held their council.” 

Velma’s dark eyes were wide open. Ash 
went on speaking, a note of reverent pride in 
his voice. 

“ These stories are not my sole claim to an¬ 
tiquity. It may be because of them that my 


A Pleasant Lunch 


79 

twigs were long considered a charm against 
witchcraft and magic. However, with the Ro¬ 
mans I was considered the emblem of war.” 

“ Did they really believe in witchcraft ? ” 
Velma asked scornfully. “ I think that very 
silly, don’t you ? ” 

“ It is not very sensible, viewed in the light 
of to-day. Some of our present-day writers tell 
of a belief common among the mountaineers of 
the South. They believe that my leaves and 
twigs are charms against snakes. Others claim 
that I am poisonous to reptiles, and give instances 
of the early settlers building their houses near 
ash trees, or of Indians seeking the same shade 
for their wigwams. I think there is no real 
basis for this belief, as I never noticed reptiles 
shunning me more than other trees.” 

“ I would not like snakes to come near me,” 
Velma said, shivering a little, “ but I know I 
would like the woods. There must be many 
beautiful things there.” 

“ You are right, Velma. Among all the beau¬ 
ties of sight and sound there was none I loved 
better than the birds. They used to nest among 
my branches and sing the sweetest songs to 
me.” 

“ Maple told me how beautiful he was in 


80 The Furniture People 

autumn. That must be a playtime for you all 
and—oh, I beg your pardon ! ” 

“ I do not understand you, Velma. What is 
it for which you are asking my pardon ? ” 

The little girl’s cheeks were crimson, but she 
replied bravely, “ I thought it might be that the 
beloved holiday time came only to the maples. 
If so, it might make you feel bad to hear 
about it.” 

“ No, no, dear. That would be jealousy. 
Autumn brings to all deciduous trees a resting 
time. Maple is the most gayly-dressed of any 
of us, but there is no envy in our hearts towards 
him. It is a happy time for us all, a time when 
the very air seems to sing, 

“ ‘ There is a beautiful spirit breathing now 
Its mellowed richness on the clustered trees.’ ” 

“ Oh, I am so glad you furniture people love 
each other ! ” 

“ Love is what binds the parts of the earth 
into one perfect whole. While I am not so 
pretty as Maple, Velma, autumn brings me a 
charm of my own. From the inner room, I 
heard Maple telling you what the kind-hearted 
naturalist, John Burroughs, said of him. He 
also paid me a fine compliment.” 

“ Oh, how nice! Please tell it to me.” 


A Pleasant Lunch 


81 


“ These are his words, and they give a fair 
picture of me in my fall dress. ‘The richest 
shades of plum color to be seen—becoming by 
and by, or in certain lights, a deep maroon— 
are afforded by the ash tree. Then, at a dis¬ 
tance, there seems to be a sort of bloom on it, as 
upon the grape or plum.’ ” 

Ash stopped, and Velma waited for him to go 
on. Instead of doing so he said : 

“ There is Signor Malchi’s knock. Run, 
Velma, and let him in.” 


CHAPTER IX 


THE CHESTNUT AS FOOD AND AS FURNITURE 

Wednesday was a rainy day. From morning 
until evening the raindrops softly tapped against 
the windows, as if coaxing for admittance. 
During the night, Velma awoke once and could 
still hear the patter of the rain. When she was 
dressing on Thursday morning, she looked out 
of the window. To her surprise, the rain was 
still falling, although it was little more than a 
gray mist. 

“ I wish the sun would shine.” There was a 
ring of impatience in Velma’s voice. “ The 
days are so long and dreary when it rains ! ” 

“ You know there is a way to make sunshine 
in the house, no matter what the weather may 
be,” Mrs. Lee said gently. 

It was a moment before Velma spoke. Her 
dark head was bent over her dish of oatmeal. 
At last she said : 

“ Mother* do you think Mrs. Grayson would 
like me to read to her this morning? ” 

82 






These the gods fashioned into Ask and Emhla. 





























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I msm 


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The chair was a huge affair with a high back 





































































































































The Chestnut as Food 


83 


“ I am sure she would, dear.” 

Mrs. Grayson was the invalid lady on the 
upper floor. She was a great sufferer, and her 
eyes were so inflamed that the doctors had for¬ 
bidden her to use them. The days were long 
for the poor woman, and she was glad to have 
any one read to her. 

Velma waited to wipe the dishes and to put 
the wee sitting-room in order. Then she tripped 
up-stairs, her face as bright as if it were sunny 
out of doors. 

“ It must be that the gray storm is over,” the 
invalid said when the bright-faced little girl 
bent over her bed. “It does me good just to 
look at you.” 

Velma first read a chapter from the Bible, 
then one from Thomas a Kempis’s “ Imitation 
of Christ.” 

“Shall I stay a little longer?” she asked, 
when the last-named book had been returned to 
its place on the little stand by the sick woman’s 
bed. “ I brought my own ‘ Patsy ’ and thought 
you might like to hear a few pages from that. 
It is such a good story ! ” 

“ Indeed, I should like to hear it. It gives 
me great pleasure to hear you read.” 

The forenoon was half gone when Velma cle- 


84 The Furniture People 

scended the stairs. Her mother looked up from 
her sewing, a smile on her lips. 

“ Signor Malchi looked in a moment ago to 
invite you to call. He has been up on Long 
Street in the rain and said he had found some¬ 
thing that he thought you would like.” 

Velma waited to hear no more, but hastened 
across the hall. The old Italian greeted her 

gayly. 

“ It does one good to look on the bright little 
face on the gray morning. See ! I found these 
at the store of one of my countrymen and 
brought them to you. They came from my 
own country.” 

While speaking, he had handed Velma a 
quaint old brown plate. On it was a half pint 
of fine, large chestnuts, and they were wreathed 
round with a spray of cinnamon vine. This 
had come from the balcony, and upon the sil¬ 
ver-green, heart-shaped leaves drops of moisture 
still sparkled. 

“ Thank you, thank you!” Velma cried. 
“ They are so pretty ! You know how to make 
a picture of anything.” 

“ I am glad to give you the pleasure, my lit¬ 
tle friend. Sit down in this chair and eat the 
nuts.” 


The Chestnut as Food 85 

The chair was a huge affair with a high back. 
This back was carved in an open-work design, 
there were massive arms, and the tapestry 
cushion on the seat was worn and faded. 
Velma had learned to look closely at the wood 
from which furniture was made. She observed 
that this was light and close-grained. Sitting 
down she prepared to enjoy the nuts. 

“ It’s something like a joke of the dear old 
man’s/’ began a voice. “ I mean that you are 
sitting in a chestnut chair, eating chestnuts, and 
listening to Chestnut.” 

“ How strange ! Is it really true ? Did these 
delicious nuts grow on a tree that is one of 
the furniture people? And is the wood from 
which the chair is made from one of these same 
trees ? ” 

“ There are three questions in a single breath. 
Yet, yes will truthfully answer them all. But 
I have more to tell you, and it is such a nice, 
quiet morning for a visit.” 

Velma nestled down in the chair and won¬ 
dered how she could ever have grumbled be¬ 
cause it rained. 

“ I am Chestnut, otherwise known as Castanea 
Vesca. That name comes from Castana, a town 
in Asia Minor. We are natives of the United 


86 


The Furniture People 

States, Europe, and Asia Minor, and are dis¬ 
tantly related to the Oaks.” 

“ Do the trees in that far-off land have such 
nuts as these? ” the little girl asked, at the same 
time beginning on another chestnut. 

“ They are much alike. My nuts are smaller 
than those of the old-world trees, such as you are 
eating, and also sweeter. Chestnut trees grow 
to a great size and often have wide-spreading 
branches. The leaves are long, lanceolate, and 
acuminate. That last word means that they 
terminate in a long tapering point. The edge 
of each leaf is notched, having saw-like teeth 
which point forward. A leaf with this pecul¬ 
iarity is called a serrated leaf.” 

Velma caught her breath. 

“ That is a good deal to remember about your 
leaves, dear Chestnut, but I think I can do it. 
They are lanceolate, acuminate, and serrated.” 

“ That is good. Now, put it in your own 
words, as if you saw the leaf.” 

“ It is much longer than wide, tapers down to 
a point, and has sharp notches all round its 
edges.” 

There was a sound as of a laugh of satisfac¬ 
tion. Then Chestnut said : 

“ You are an apt pupil. Next, you shall hear 


The Chestnut as Food 87 

about my flowers. There are two kinds. The 
staminate are long catkins, and each catkin is 
made up of clusters of tiny blossoms. The pis¬ 
tillate flowers—really the nuts—have a tiny cup 
not unlike the one that you learned was the sau¬ 
cer of Oak s acorn. 1 his is called an involucre 
and contains three wee blossoms. The pollen 
from the staminate flower falls upon the pistillate 
one, and it grows and grows. The involucre or 
burr encloses the flowers and becomes a stiff case 
covered with sharp thorns. Within, the burr is 
soft and satiny and holds three nuts. These are 
like the ones in your lap.” 

“ How do people get them out of the prickly 
burr ? ” 

“ That is Jack Frost’s part. When the nuts 
are ripe, the frost sprite tweaks each burr, and it 
opens in four parts, dropping its nuts to the 
earth.” 

“ How delightful it all is ! ” 

“ It is indeed delightful to gather chestnuts 
on a clear autumn day when the sun’s rays have 
driven away Jack Frost. The long leaves of the 
tree have turned from green to yellow and are 
thickly strewn upon the ground, half hiding 
the nuts. The squirrels and the chipmunks, 
too, are busy, carrying away nuts for their 


88 The Furniture People 

winter supply of food. Then comes the long 
evenings when, in country homes, the chestnuts 
are roasted in the open fires. Just think, 
Velma, if all the chestnuts that ripen in a 
single year were to be planted! Remember 
that every time you eat a nut, you eat what 
might have been a whole tree.” 

Velma laughed gayly. 

“ Then this morning I have devoured a good- 
sized grove. Do you trees live to be old ? ” 

“ We live many years, and some members of 
our family have grown to an enormous size. A 
celebrated chestnut tree on Mount Etna meas¬ 
ured two hundred feet in circumference, but 
trees of that size are very rare. It may interest 
you to know that in the southern part of 
Europe, these nuts form a principal part of the 
food of the working classes. Not only do they 
eat them as you are now doing, but they also 
roast and boil them. Then they are also ground 
into flour from which bread is made. Signor 
Malchi can tell you about that, for the part of 
Italy where he spent his boyhood days has large 
groves of chestnut trees.” 

“ You are such a beautiful and useful tree 
that I am sure the poets have sung your 
praises.” 


The Chestnut as Food 89 

“ Cur beloved Longfellow immortalized me in 
‘ Ihe \ illage Blacksmith.’ You remember it 
begins, 

“ ‘ Under a spreading chestnut tree 
The village smithy stands. ’ ” 

“ I do remember that. We had the poem in 
school, and our teacher told us that there was 
such a tree in Cambridge where the poet lived.” 

“ Yes, there was, and it stood before the 
i smithy,’ or blacksmith shop. When, on ac¬ 
count of widening the street, it was cut down, 
the school children of Cambridge brought con¬ 
tributions enough to have made from the wood 
of the tree an armchair for the poet. This was 
presented to him on his seventy-second birth- 
day.” 

“ That was such a nice thing for them to do. 
W as Mr. Longfellow pleased ? ” 

“ He was delighted. The chair always stood 
before his study fire. The wood was ebonized, 
so that it is a dead black in color. The uphol¬ 
stery of the arms is in green leather, and there 
is a cushion of the same material. In the back 
is a circular piece of fine carving representing 
horse-chestnut leaves and blossoms. Under¬ 
neath the cushion is a brass plate on which are 
inscribed these words : ‘ To the author of “ The 


9 o 


The Furniture People 

Village Blacksmith/’ this chair, made from the 
wood of the spreading chestnut tree, is pre¬ 
sented as an expression of grateful regard and 
veneration by the children of Cambridge, who 
with their friends join in the good wishes and 
congratulations on this anniversary, February 
27 , 1879 .’ ” 

“ I am so glad that you have told me this 
nice story, Chestnut.” 

“ Then, I will tell you one thing more about 
it before you go. Mr. Longfellow conveyed his 
thanks to the children in a graceful little poem, 
‘ From my Armchair.’ One stanza of this runs, 

“ ‘ And thus, dear children, have you made for me 
This day of jubilee, 

And to my more than threescore years and ten 
Brought back my youth again.’ ” 







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“It is a birthday gift from your friend, Signor Malchi. ’ 

























































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The Indians used to fashion various vessels from the hark. 



































CHAPTER X 

A BIRTHDAY TREAT AND BIRCH’s TALE 

Velma’s next introduction to one of the 
furniture people occurred under somewhat dif¬ 
ferent circumstances than had any of the former 
ones. On the fourth of August she would be 
ten years old. Two days before, a note came 
from Cousin Edith, asking Mrs. Lee and Velma 
to come to visit her on that day. 

It proved to be a very warm morning, so that 
they made an early start. Velma always en¬ 
joyed a street-car ride, especially when it took 
her by pretty suburban homes where there were 
green lawns and beds of flowers. 

Upon reaching their destination, they found 
that a long carriage ride had been planned for 
them. Phey went out a little way into what 
Velma called “the really, truly country,” re¬ 
turning to the home of Cousin Edith in time 
for luncheon. 

The luncheon was a nice little birthday feast. 
Velma found at her plate a pretty new ring, 
9 1 


92 


The Furniture People 

and on the table there was an iced cake with 
ten pink candles upon it. 

After luncheon, Velma’s mother and cousin 
sat on the veranda, sewing, while the child 
played with some little girls who had been in¬ 
vited in her honor. 

Mrs. Lee and her daughter were obliged to 
start for home early, as a lady was to call at the 
tenement house at six for some embroidery that 
the widow had just completed. When they left 
the car at the corner and walked up the street, 
laden with a basket, a bouquet, and some maga¬ 
zines, Velma was too happy to notice the dirt 
and noise of the street. 

They unlocked the door and entered the 
sitting-room. Mrs. Lee removed her hat and 
handed it to Velma. 

“ Please put it away, dear.” 

Velma walked into the sleeping-room that 
she shared with her mother, a hat in each 
hand. Just inside the door she paused and 
cried : 

“ Mother ! Why, mother ! See ! ” 

Mrs. Lee came forward, a smile upon her face. 
She did not seem in the least surprised to see 
that a pretty light-colored dressing-table had 
been added to the furniture of the room. 


A Birthday Treat and Birch’s Tale 93 

“Where did it come from, mother?” Velma 
asked, her brown eyes beginning to dance. 

“ It is a birthday gift from your friend, Signor 
Malchi. He has kept it hidden away from you 
while redressing and varnishing it, and brought 
it in here while we were gone.” 

“ How kind he is ! It is—oh, it is nicer than 
nice ! I must go and thank the good Signor.” 

“ He went down the street as we came up the 
steps. However, you will have an opportunity 
to thank him, as I have invited him to take tea 
with us.” 

Velma walked close up to the table. It was 
not large, and beneath the polished top were 
two drawers. The wood was very light, firm¬ 
grained, and glistened in the dim light of the 
room. Over the table was suspended a mirror, 
the supports and frame being of the same light 
wood. 

“ O mother, it is so sweet! I can never 
thank the dear old man enough.” 

“ I am glad you appreciate his kindness. 
Now I am going to leave you to get acquainted 
with your treasure, for Mrs. Clement’s carriage 
is at the door.” 

Mrs. Lee was only just out of the room when 
a voice said * 


94 


The Furniture People 

“ I am so glad I am yours, Velma ! We shall 
be very happy together. Why child, do not 
look so startled. I am Birch, one of your furni¬ 
ture people.” 

“ Oh, good, good ! ” and Velma went dancing 
round the room. “ My gift will be dearer than 
ever to me because it was once a tree. I’ll sit 
down here in the little rocker, where I can lay 
my hand upon you, and you shall tell me all of 
your dear story.” 

“ Well, to begin in the proper way, I am 
Betula Papyrifera. That last name means 
paper, and so I am called Paper Birch or White 
Birch. Then I have a cousin who differs from 
me in some respects, and many persons insist 
that he alone has a right to the title White 
Birch. There is a reason for the name Paper, 
and I like to be called Paper Birch best. I will 
tell you the reason when I come to that part of 
my story. Personally, I am a native of the 
United States, although the Birches are well 
known in the Old World. I have several 
cousins, and we have many common points of 
resemblance.” 

“ You look alike, as we sa}^ of real people,” 
Velma suggested with a happy little smile. 

“ Yes, in a general way. Many of us have 


A Birthday Treat and Birch’s Tale 95 

drooping branches, and on all birch trees the 
branches are very slender. Some one has said 
that they are ‘ so slender that they scarcely cast 
a shadow.’ Our leaves are finely-cut, notched, 
and taper to a point. Then our bark deserves 
special mention. On many of the trees it is 
very light-colored, a sort of silvery-white. 
Some trees have the bark marked horizontally 
with dots and lines.” 

“ You must be pretty trees.” 

“ Nearly all people think so. Our blossoms 
are curious. In the early spring-time our 
branches are tipped with long, drooping, yel¬ 
low, tail-like catkins. They come from bracts 
which appear on the trees in autumn. The 
pollen comes from these catkins. The pistillate 
flowers, which are somewhat like tiny cones, 
have two curving arms that catch the pollen. 
The cones grow slowly and mature on the trees. 
In the late autumn the winds carry them away 
into the depths of the woods where many of 
them spring up the next year and, in time, 
become birch trees.” 

“ How wonderful, how very wonderful it all 
is ! ” 

“ Indeed, I think you may well say that. 
You recall what I said about the name Paper 


96 The Furniture People 

Birch, do you not? Well, that species often has 
its outer bark removed in thin layers. These 
can be written upon. The Indians used to 
fashion various vessels from the bark, even 
making canoes of it. These were made upon 
a frame and coated with a resinous substance. 
Many ornamental articles are still made from 
birch bark.” 

“ Has it been long since you left your wood¬ 
land home and became a dressing-table ? ” 

‘‘ Only about twenty years. My first mistress 
was a sweet-faced young maiden, and I occupied 
one corner of a pleasant room in a country 
home. From the window near I could look 
across undulating fields and away to the sunny 
hilltops.” 

“ Your life must have been a happy one.” 

“ I was happy there, but the sunshine has 
been tempered by clouds. After a few years 
my mistress married, and the old home was 
broken up, the furniture being sold. I was 
brought to the city where I became the prop¬ 
erty of a middle-aged woman. She was silly 
and vain, spending much time in trying to ap¬ 
pear younger than she really was. It made me 
sad to think that I had no higher use in life 
than to minister to her vanity. But now, 


A Birthday Treat and Birch’s Tale 97 

Velma, I am sure you will help me to lead a 
better life.” 

Velma looked grave. 

u We will help each other,” she said ear¬ 
nestly. 

“ Will you pardon me if I go back to my¬ 
self? ” Birch asked. “ There are a great many 
kinds of birch trees, some of which have 
marked peculiarities. Black, Yellow, Sweet, 
Dwarf—these are a few of the names which 
explain themselves. While I do not mean to 
boast, yet I must tell you that some pretty 
things have been said about us. Lowell noticed 
us, but to him we seemed somewhat timid. He 
says, ‘ The birch, most shy and ladylike of 
trees.’ ” 

“ That was a nice thing for him to say.” 

“ Irving is not so complimentary. On ac¬ 
count of the slenderness of our branches, they 
used often to be taken for whips. Indeed, the 
term ‘ birch ’ came to mean a rod of correction 
for an unruly child. In ‘ The Sketch Book,’ 
Irving speaks of a school vacation as ‘ six 
weeks’ emancipation from the abhorred thral¬ 
dom of book, birch, and pedagogue.’ ” 

The little girl laughed merrily. 

“ Teachers use a ruler now, and we do not 


98 


The Furniture People 

know from what tree it comes. I am sure more 
sweet things have been said about you ; you de¬ 
serve them.” 

“ Thank you, little mistress. I must tell you 
how dear I was to our great Longfellow. In 
4 The Song of Hiawatha,’ there are many refer¬ 
ences to me. 4 Cheemaun ’ was the Indian 
name for a birch canoe, and you remember how 
I helped the brave youth in his canoe building. 
It was to me he turned first, crying: 

“ ‘ Give me of your bark, O Birch-Tree ! 

Of your yellow bark, O Birch-Tree ! 

Growing by the rushing river, 

Tall and stately in the valley ! 

I, a light canoe will build me, 

Build a swift Cheemaun for sailing. 

***** 

Lay aside your cloak, O Birch-Tree ! 

Lay aside your wliite-skin wrapper.’ ” 

“ And you did not refuse his request, did 
you ? ” 

‘ 4 4 The tree with all its branches 
Rustled in the breeze of morning, 

Saying, with a sigh of patience, 

Take my cloak, O Hiawatha ! ’” 


“ Was that all that Longfellow said about 
you ? ” 

u No, no. He told how the canoe, when com- 


A Birthday Treat and Birch’s Tale 99 

pleted, had ‘ all the lightness of the birch-tree.’ 
Again he says, 

u ‘From the tassels of the birch-trees 
Soft the Spirit of Sleep descended; ’ 

and before that he told how the child Hiawatha, 
in a moment of excitement, 1 like the birch-leaf 
palpitated.’ Hark, that is your mother calling 
you. Run along, for you and I shall have 
plenty of time to visit.” 


CHAPTER XI 


SIGNOR MALCH1S VISITOR AND THE ROSEWOOD BOX 

One sunny morning, Velma was playing on 
the balcony. A slight breeze stirred the leaves 
of the vines and brought a breath of cool air to 
the little girl’s face. She had her doll in her 
arms and was rocking back and forth, singing a 
soft lullaby. 

Signor Malchi was at work just inside the 
door. He, too, was singing, or rather humming, 
a melody he had learned years before when, a 
happy, barefooted boy, he had worked in the 
vineyards of his beloved Italy. 

Suddenly the outside door of the room opened, 
and a high-pitched voice called : 

“ Are these the rooms of Mr. Malchi, the 
Italian ? And is he at home ? ” 

“ I am Malchi, the Italian, sir, at your serv¬ 
ice,” was the Signor’s reply. He went forward 
to meet the newcomer, bowing with the courtly 
grace that always pleased Velma and height¬ 
ened her respect for him. 

She looked at the stranger. He was a middle- 
100 


IOI 


Signor Malchi’s Visitor 

aged man and stooped as he walked. His face 
was dark, the lower part of it being covered 
with a well-trimmed beard, while the upper part 
was crossed and recrossed with a network of 
fine wrinkles. In his arms he carried a large 
package. 

Velma found nothing of special interest about 
the man, so she again turned her attention to 
the doll lying in her arms. The lullaby was not 
resumed, however, as the child thoughtfully re¬ 
membered that her singing might annoy the 
gentlemen who were talking. 

Only a few minutes had passed when they 
came out upon the balcony. The wrappings 
had been removed from the package, and its 
contents—a wooden box a foot and a half square 
—was in Signor Malchi’s hands. It was in or¬ 
der to see this more clearly that he had carried 
it to the balcom r . 

“ No, no, little girl, you do not need to go,” 
the Italian took time to say to Velma before he 
again turned to the stranger. 

“ You wish it cleaned and the lock re¬ 
paired ? ” 

“ Yes. Put it in good shape. There’s a little 
drawer within that needs mending. I prize it 
most highly, my good fellow.” 


102 


The Furniture People 

“ Ah, it is old, and it may be the heirloom of 
your family.” 

The stranger nodded. 

“ You are right. My great-grandfather owned 
it, and it was my grandfather who brought it to 
this country from England seventy years ago. 
Valuable papers used to be kept in it, but it is 
too small for mine. The safe in my counting- 
room will barely hold them.” 

Velma wondered if that was what her mother 
called boasting, but she was interested in the 
box and glad when the man went on. 

“ So I am going to have it cleaned up to give 
to my daughter Katherine on her fourteenth 
birthday. Katherine cares a lot for the old 
family traditions. She can keep her trinkets in 
the box and later on her jewels, for she will 
have the Van Lyden jewels when she is old 
enough to wear them.” 

He went soon after that, lingering only to 
learn when he should call for the box. Signor 
Malclii accompanied him to the door. Thus 
Velma was left alone with the box, which had 
been placed on a table. 

“ Well, I am glad to be out of that musty 
old chest, where I’ve been packed away for a 
dozen years. What a dear place this is ! I hope 


Signor Malchi’s Visitor 103 

my new mistress, Katherine Van Lyden, will be 
as sweet a girl as you are.” 

Velma blushed and moved a little nearer to 
the table. 

“ That is right. Look me over. It will seem 
like old times to have young fingers once more 
lift my lid.” 

The box was made from a fine, hard wood of 
a dark blackish-brown color. This was beauti¬ 
fully marked with wavy lines and streaks of a 
dark red. Within, the box was divided into 
several small compartments. The lid was at¬ 
tached by tiny hinges, and in it was a large 
space apparently designed as a receptacle for 
papers. 

“ May I ask your name?” Velma inquired 
politely. 

“ Ah, Mr. Van Lyden forgot to tell you that I 
am Rosewood of the genus Dalbergia. Now, there 
are several kinds of trees the wood of which is 
called rosewood. It may not add much to your 
knowledge to have me tell you that I am Dal¬ 
bergia Nigra, but it may interest you to learn 
that I was named for Nicholas Dalberg, a Swedish 
botanist. While traveling in Brazil, he learned 
many facts about me that he made known to the 
people of Europe.” 


104 The Furniture People 

“ Oh, you are from Brazil then ! I shall be 
so glad to hear about that far-away, beautiful 
country.” 

“ In one sense of the word/it is exceedingly 
beautiful, Velma. The heat and the moisture 
induce a rank growth of vegetation. Besides 
this, there are many trees, plants, flowers, ani¬ 
mals, and birds that would seem strange to you. 
However, you must remember that scores of years 
have passed since I left my distant home.” 

“ Ho you suppose that there have been many 
changes there in all the years? ” 

“ Perhaps not in the part that was my home. 
Forests still cover vast tracts of land there. I 
was a large tree with wide-spreading branches. 
My leaves were shining and grew in pinnate 
fashion with a terminal leaflet. My long life as 
a tree was a most happy and care-free one. I 
knew little of men, only occasionally seeing a 
band of savages marching through the forest.” 

Velma drew nearer. 

“ Were they real Indians? ” 

“ They were, differing only slightly in appear¬ 
ance and mode of living from those of North 
America. But there came a dav when I realized 
that my free, ideal life was forever ended. A 
gang of men, headed by a loud-voiced, tyran- 


Signor Malchi’s Visitor 105 

nical overseer, came to my home. One tree after 
another went down before the blows of their 
axes. All too soon, my turn came, and my 
proud length was stretched upon the earth.” 

Velma stooped and laid her pink cheek upon 
the box’s lid. 

“ You must have felt very bad then.” 

“ I did, little girl. I was not resigned, how¬ 
ever ; it was resentment and anger rather than 
sorrow that filled my heart. When I was being 
dragged over the ground by four great oxen, I 
thought my last day had come. I was mis¬ 
taken ; God still had work for me to do.” 

There was a moment’s pause, broken by 
Velma. 

“ You were sent to some other country? I 
heard the gentleman who just went from here 
say that his grandfather brought you to America 
from England.” 

“ I did go first to England. Before being 
shipped, I Avas taken to the city of Para. There 
my trunk was sawn into logs ten feet long, and 
each log was split through the middle.” 

“ Why, what was that for? ” 

“ To make sure that the log was sound at the 
heart. Rosewood is nearly always shipped in 
half logs. There was a long sea voyage before 


106 The Furniture People 

we reached England. Vast quantities of rose¬ 
wood are shipped to that country every year. 
There it is used principally for veneering. This 
box, though, is solid.” 

“ You told me how you came by your long 
Latin name, but I am wondering about the one 
by which you are best known—Rosewood. Does 
it really mean anything about the beautiful 
flower that bears the same name ? ” 

“ Ah, I came near forgetting to tell you that, 
and it is one of the most pleasing parts of my 
story. While the trees are being cut, they yield 
a most agreeable perfume, said by many to 
greatly resemble that of the rose. Ha! ha! 
Velma, there is no use of your trying to find the 
perfume; mine vanished more than a hundred 
years ago.” 

Velma had leaned forward to smell the box. 
She laughed a little ; then the sweet voice went 
on. 

“ It is only while the wood is fresh that it is 
fragrant. As soon as it is seasoned, the odor 
disappears. All rosewood trees do not grow in 
Brazil. The East Indies produce a cousin of 
mine the wood of which is quite valuable. It 
is a species of Dalbergia , but its popular name 
is Blackwood.” 


Signor Malchi’s Visitor 107 

“ Does that mean that the wood is dark-col¬ 
ored ? ” 

“ It does. The wood is nearly black, not pos¬ 
sessing my own red shade. Then there is 
African Rosewood, but he is of another genus. 
It is the same with Australian Rosewood. In¬ 
deed, this last-named tree is an evergreen, its 
finely-cut leaves remaining on the tree all win¬ 
ter. Its wood is light-colored, being a shade of 
red. Doubtless it was this that gave the tree its 
name, as it is no relative of mine.” 

“ What about your life since leaving your first 
home. Have you been happy ? ” 

“ At first I was not. The sawing, planing, 
and polishing frightened and hurt me. Then I 
was rebellious and ungrateful, forgetting the 
long years of perfect joy that had been mine. It 
was not until I was in my present form and began 
to be useful that I learned life’s great lesson.” 

“ What is that?” 

“ I am glad to tell you, dear, for I am sure it 
applies to girls as well as to furniture people. 
It is service. All my years of growth were to 
fit me to be of use in the world. I am ungrate¬ 
ful if I am not as happy in service as I was in 
the days when God’s good care was fitting me 
for it.” 


io8 The Furniture People 

Again Velma bent over the rosewood box. 

“ Thank you. I will remember, and I hope 
you will carry as sweet a message to your new 
mistress, Katherine Van Lyden.” 



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CHAPTER XII 


THE BAMBOO CABINET 

The long, hot summer was drawing to a close. 
Velma began to look forward to the opening of 
school. One afternoon she returned from a visit 
to Signor Malclii to find Cousin Edith with 
her mother. Both ladies were much excited, 
and it was some time before the little girl un¬ 
derstood what it all meant. 

It was such a delightful story when once it 
was told ! All of Velma’s books of fairy stories 
held nothing so delightful, at least not to the 
little maiden who listened with bated breath and 
with cheeks in which the color came and went. 

Velma and her mother were going to the 
country to live. At first that knowledge was 
enough for the child. However, after a few 
minutes had passed, and she had been assured 
that there was no mistake, she sat down to listen 
to her cousin’s account of the matter. 

Cousin Edith had a friend who lived on a 
beautiful estate six miles out of the city. The 
lady was not well and was absent from home 


I IO 


The Furniture People 

much of the time. She wanted some competent 
woman to oversee the work of the house and to 
do fine sewing. 

Velma’s mother was offered a good salary if 
she would go to Fairlawn and do this work. 
There was a tiny cottage on the grounds where 
mother and daughter could live, and there was 
an excellent school within a ten-minutes’ walk 
of the cottage. 

“You are to have all the milk, fresh eggs, 
vegetables, fruits, and flowers that you wish,” 
Cousin Edith went on, smiling in sympathy 
with the joy mirrored in Velma’s eyes. “ Then 
there are fields and woods, besides a dear little 
brook which crosses the grounds.” 

You fortunate lads and lassies who have 
grown up among the beauties of nature cannot 
fully comprehend the delight which filled 
Velma’s heart. She was to see and hear the 
birds, to watch the fruit ripen, and to revel in 
the gladness of the autumnal days. All the 
rest of the afternoon she could do nothing but 
talk of their new country home. She went in 
early the next morning once more to tell Signor 
Malchi about it. 

“ It is not as if we were going far away from 
you, dear Signor,” she said. “ I shall come to 


The Bamboo Cabinet 111 

see you, and you must often take the car and 
come out to Fairlawn.’* 

The old Italian promised to do that. He 
knew he would greatly miss his friends, but he 
was too unselfish to do otherwise than rejoice 
in their good fortune. Before the visit was 
ended, the entrance of a customer interrupted 
it. Velma started to go out upon the balcony, 
but stopped to look at a curious cabinet which 
stood just below a window. 

It was a quaint piece of furniture, being 
formed of small, smooth rods. There were two 
shelves upon one side and four upon the other, 
thus making the right-hand part much higher 
than the left. The rods were light-colored and 
slender but seemed strong. 

“ Yes, I am one of the furniture people,’’ a 
voice said as if in reply to the little girl’s un¬ 
asked question. “ I am Bambusa or Bamboo. 
While Bamboos grow in all parts of southeastern 
Asia and in Central America, I myself am a 
native of China. Indeed, I am the national 
plant of that empire.” 

“ I shall be very glad to hear about China,” 
Velma cried. “ It may seem strange to you, 
but I never knew there was a bamboo tree.” 

“ Tree ! A bamboo tree ! Well, that is a good 


112 The Furniture People 

joke,” and Bamboo laughed until Velma’s face 
grew red with excitement and embarrassment. 

“ Pardon me,” he said at last. “ I am sure 
when you understand you will laugh too. Now 
Velma, you have learned to look upon all the 
furniture people as being trees, but I am really 
a grass.” 

“ A—a—what? ” 

“ A grass. You are looking at the rods 
and thinking that they are round instead of 
flat and much larger than any grass ever grows. 
Yet these are small in proportion to the size I 
sometimes attain. These that you are calling 
rods are stalks of grass.” 

Velma sat down upon the floor close to the 
cabinet. 

“ Please, please explain. I don’t understand 
a single thing about it.” 

“ While I am a grass, Velma, I grow to the 
proportions of a tree. Each one of my root 
stalks sends up from ten to one hundred woody, 
fast-growing stems. These grow straight up 
and sometimes reach a height of eighty feet.” 

“ Eighty feet! Grass eighty feet tall! ” 

“ If that surprises you, what do you think of 
this? These tall stalks are sometimes fifteen or 
eighteen inches in diameter. The stems are 


The Bamboo Cabinet 113 

jointed and nearly hollow, containing only a 
light, spongy pith. At the joints, which are 
called nodes, they are divided by a strong 
growth.” 

“ Does it take you years and years to grow to 
be so tall ? ” 

“ Oh, no, child, we grow very rapidly. Each 
stalk has long, narrow, pointed leaves. These 
grow at the top and give the stalk the appear¬ 
ance of a plume, especially when they gently 
wave and sway in the wind. A single tuft of 
this grass will develop, in time, into a grove.” 

“ Furniture made of grass ! It does seem so 
funny that I cannot get over it.” 

“ But that is not all that I am good for, little 
girl. If you knew all the uses to which the 
Chinese and the East Indian puts me you 
would be surprised.” 

Velma bent nearer, her face aglow. 

“ Please tell me all about them, Bamboo. I 
do so love to be surprised.” 

“To tell you all about them would take too 
long,” Bamboo said with a merry, tinkling 
little laugh. “ However, I will mention a few. 

I think I told you that at my joints there were 
little walls dividing my hollow tubes. These 
poles, or culms, as they are called, are sawed off 


114 The Furniture People 

a little way on each side of this joint, making a 
sort of hollow dish after it is cut through the 
middle. This takes the place of a cup or, if the 
stalk is big enough, of a bucket.” 

“ That’s another thing to remember. You 
not only make furniture, but also dishes.” 

“ Yes, and they are durable ones. When the 
Chinese builds his home he makes the frame¬ 
work for it of my tapering culms. With my 
leaves, he thatches the roof and often the sides. 
From my finely-shredded splints he makes 
window lattices and door screens.” 

“ Why, he could not get along without 
you.” 

u It would be most difficult for him to do so. 
His home done, he makes furniture for it from 
my culms. Cabinets, tables, chairs, beds, couches 
—I furnish the material for all of these. With 
my shavings, mattresses and pillows are stuffed. 
Brooms are made from me, and my fibres are 
woven into clothing. The Chinese even cooks 
and eats my tender young shoots, using them as 
you do asparagus.” 

“ I should think you would all be used 
up.” 

“ There is always an abundance of us. I 
must tell you of a few more strange uses to 


The Bamboo Cabinet 115 

which we are put. In the Chinese system of 
irrigation, my hollow stems are used for water 
pipes, and bamboo bridges are common in that 
country. Baskets are woven from my splints, 
and they are also twisted into cables and plaited 
into awnings. A curious use of my leaves is the 
making of a ‘ rain-coat,’ The leaves are pinned 
together so that the points overlap. The gar¬ 
ment is swung over the shoulders and really 
sheds the rain.” 

“ I remember my teacher’s saying that China 
is a very old country. Did the people there 
know about you long ago? ” 

“ Very, very long ago, Velma. It is recorded 
that, in the sixth century, my poles were used 
much the same as now. One story is that in 
that century the eggs of the silk worm were 
smuggled from China to Constantinople by be¬ 
ing hidden in hollow bamboo culms.” 

Just then Signor Malchi joined Velma. She 
lifted a sparkling face to him. 

“ Is it not wonderful ? I have been listening 
to the loveliest story from Bamboo. He is one 
of the furniture people, and, Signor Malchi, he 
is a grass.” 

The old Italian laughed and laid one hand 
tenderly on Velma’s dark head. 


ii6 The Furniture People 

“All these things are indeed wonderful, my 
dear little friend. In the new home you will 
find many, oh! so many, things to wonder 
about, for the earth is full of the mysteries of 
rhe good God’s creation.” 


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